Photograph of the Heart
by inuyasha'sbabe07
Summary: Higurashi Kagome is a freelance photographer with an eye for a good picture. Tessaiga InuYasha is a punk biker playboy with a bad attitude. What happens when the two mix? R&R PLEASE!
1. Many Meetings

**Disclaimer:** Ok, just so you know… I do not own InuYasha and Co. RATS!!! Big, fat, greasy rats! Oh well, my time will come _(**evil smile)**_.

**Auhor's Notes:** I just want those who actually read and enjoy my stories, I am alive. My dad's stupid computer crashed, and thus I lost ALL of my work, literally. And he has this filter thing that prohibits me from accessing this site. But now I'm using my mom's computer. And one more thing here… when I'm at school (three months, then a break of a month) I can't access fanfiction. But I will write the stories and then put them up asap. Now, enough of my blabbing! Enjoy! And PLEASE PLEASE review! I need feedback!

**Chapter 1: Many Meetings**

"Dang it! I'm late!" The young woman rushed around her two-room apartment trying to locate her Pentax camera. It was twelve-thirty, and she had to be at the church at one, and it took forty-five minutes to an hour to get there. Combing her hair back into a neat twist, she took one last check at her make-up and dress. Once she was pleased with what she saw, she grabbed her camera bag, purse, and car keys and flew out the door and down the stairs to the lobby. Once she got down to the parking lot, she located her black Toyota Ipsum, shoved the key into the ignition and sped out into Sunday afternoon traffic.

Higurashi Kagome wasn't your average twenty-one-year-old woman. Her long raven black hair was almost always pulled back into a twist, her chocolate brown eyes always sparkling with love and joy, and her fair skin always clean and flawless, she looked like a perfectionist. This was only partly true. When it came to her job, she was meticulous about details and impressions, but outside work, well, that was a completely different story.

Kagome had, like every other Japanese girl, gone through school with good grades, and was now attending a top-notch university there in Tokyo with full scholarships. But her life hadn't always been so privileged. When she was only seven, her father had been killed in a brutal car accident, which had left her mother to take care of two small children completely alone. Mrs. Higurashi was forced to take two jobs just to put Kagome and her younger brother Souta, through school, keep food on the table, and a roof over their heads. Once Kagome had turned sixteen, she started selling pictures that she took with the Pentax camera that her father had given her for her seventh birthday. It had been a hard life, but it taught Kagome to manage her money, and independence.

And now she sped her way through Tokyo traffic to take pictures at her best friend's wedding. On average, she could earn two thousand dollars for photographing weddings or taking pictures at school dances. She certainly didn't lack for money, or work. For that she thanked the gods for that.

"Maybe I _will_ be able to make it on time." She said hopefully as she gazed at the busy thoroughfare.

Just then, her cell phone started singing loudly the latest ring tone. Scrambling to drive the car and find her phone, she knocked her purse and all its contents onto the floor of the passenger's side. Kagome cursed her clumsiness and hurriedly picked up her phone and flipped it open.

"Higurashi Kagome speaking." She said cordially into the phone.

"Kagome! Where the fricking heck are you!?"

"Hello to you too, Sango," Kagome replied sarcastically to her best friend.

"You're late, Higurashi! For your best friend's wedding no less!" Taijiya Sango shouted into the phone.

Kagome winced at the volume of her friend's voice, and looked down her watch. "It's only 12:55, Sango. I'm technically not late until 1:01."

"Ah, but I know you! You're either very early, or _very_ late!"

"Thanks for your vote of confidence."

"No problem. Now get your butt over here! _Hayaku_!"

"Don't worry, I'm turning down Setsuna Drive now." Kagome heard the click, and smiled to herself.

She and Sango had been best friends since kindergarten. Each had comforted the other when things had gone wrong. Sango had let Kagome cry on her shoulder when her father had died, and Kagome had been there to help Sango through her parent's nasty divorce. In all meanings on the phrase, they had been there for each other though thick and thin. Now Sango was getting married. To a lech. And his name was Houshi Miroku.

**xXx**

Kagome put the car into park and climbed out. A handsome young man in a tuxedo came running out of the sanctuary towards her waving happily.

"Konnichiwa!" He said as he pulled Kagome into a warm hug.

"Konnichiwa, Houshi." She replied, hugging him right back.

Kagome looked Miroku up and down, from his jet-black ponytail to his patent leather shoes. He was a looker for sure, with his blue eyes and well built frame. He had been a monk for many years, but aside from his monk training he had done a lot of impromptu bike racing with a local biking gang. It was said that he was a best friend to one of the fastest bike racers ever known. Kagome of course had no idea who that was. She tried not to pry into other people's lives.

"We've been expecting you! Do you need some help with your equipment?" Miroku gestured toward the trunk of the car.

"Sure do. Would you mind grabbing the tripod… and my bag of lenses?" She smiled.

"No problem."

Arms full of camera equipment, the two made their way into the large church. Once she stepped though the doors, Kagome was enraptured by the set up. Each of the one hundred and fifty pews had its own candle stand wrapped with pink and white lily garlands. The air was filled with the sweet smell of _sakura_, rose, and lily. The podium was draped with white satin and white roses. But the most breath taking part of it all were two-dozen potted _sakura_ trees that were lined up around the auditorium.

"My gosh! She certainly has a way of making things look pretty!" Kagome whistled.

"Yeah. We're gonna be paying for this for months." Miroku wiped his brow, and then excused himself to talk to his future in-laws.

Kagome laughed quietly and shook her head, then quickly set about setting up her things. Once that was done, she decided that she might as well take her free time to drink in the delicate scenery.

By that point, most everyone that had been invited was there and sitting in the pews awaiting the ceremony. Most of the guests that were there Kagome knew, but there were a few that she couldn't seem to place, most of those being from Miroku's side of the family. One in particular was a man sitting near the back. He looked like a fish out of water with his long silver hair and cute dog-ears. _Must be an _inu youkai, _I'll bet._ Kagome thought to herself. Youkai, though not wide spread, were not a novelty.

"Isn't he hot?" Someone whispered into Kagome's ear, causing the young woman to jump a mile high. The owner of the voice was a tall woman about Kagome's height. Strangely enough, this lady looked just like Kagome, with longer hair though, paler skin, and duller eyes.

"Sorry about that, did mean to scare you. Hamaya Kikyou. Friend of the groom. _Anata wa_?" The lady offered her hand to Kagome.

"Higurashi Kagome. The bride is my best friend." Kikyou looked pointedly down at the bag of equipment at Kagome's feet. "Oh, and I'm the photographer. So, who did you say he was?" Kagome motioned toward the mystery man.

"That would be Tessaiga InuYasha. His brother owns half of Tokyo. And I own him." Kikyou gave a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Ah… Well, if you'll excuse me, I need to speak to the bride." Kagome excused herself politely, and as soon as her back was turned, she rolled her eyes. Some girls got so possessive of their men. She, of course, had only had one boyfriend, which had been a total mistake. It had been in her sophomore year of high school, and he had been way too possessive of her. It had ended fast and hard. She hadn't seen the guy since they had graduated, not that she wanted to see him again even if she could have.

"Kagome! I'm glad you finally got here!" Sango's voice snapped Kagome out of her daydream.

"Been here for about a half an hour. When is this thing supposed to start, anyway?" Kagome said as she pulled her best friend into a tight hug.

"In about five minutes. How do I look?" Sango asked as she spun around, her white gown flowing out around her.

"Like an angel. I'm so happy for you… I really am. I am a little jealous though." Kagome admitted as she focused her camera on the jittery bride.

"Don't worry. I'm sure there's _someone _here that you would like. Like maybe that Tessaiga guy." Sango laughed as she struck a dashing pose.

"No thanks, he's already 'taken'. Besides, he didn't look like my type."

"Whatever you say." Sango sighed. "You better get ready, sounds like the organs are starting to play."

With that, Sango disappeared into a small room to grab her bouquet and Kagome hurried off to get into place for the procession.

**xXx**

The wedding went perfectly, like a faery tale. The couple looked happy together. The reception was superbly catered, with a live band and happy couples dancing along to love songs and jazz. Kagome had contented herself sitting on the side snapping cameos of people dancing. She was changing the film out in her camera when shadow fell over her work.

"Wanna dance?" Came a deep voice from above her.

Kagome's head shot up to see who was bothering to ask her to dance. To her surprise Tessaiga InuYasha stood offering his hand to her, with a smile on his face! It took Kagome several seconds before she could find the words to answer, her mouth working the air like a fish.

"Sure, but don't you have a girlfriend that would be wanting to dance with you right now?" Kagome said, finally finding her voice.

"You mean Kikyou? Nah." He shrugged noncommittally. "We broke up a long time ago, but she doesn't seem to want to accept that."

"I know exactly how the feels." With that Kagome closed the back panel of her camera and took InuYasha's offered hand.

"So what do ya do for a livin', besides take pictures at weddings?" InuYasha asked as they swayed to some little known Japanese love song.

"Sell more pictures. That's been my life since I was sixteen. Oh yeah, I'm studying at the university downtown too."

"I race motorcycles."

It was such a short statement, but it was said with such force, it seemed to hold a lot of weight. It seemed only fitting that this man dancing with Kagome should be a biker too. His left ear was pierced with a small silver hoop, and he had a small tattoo in kanji that read "fire" on his neck. Kagome nodded politely and left it that. She was content just looking at his gorgeous golden eyes. Once the song had ended InuYasha walked Kagome back to her seat, even though it seemed a little too soon to both of them.

"Nice meetin' ya." He said as he pulled her chair out for her.

"You too."

Kagome sat down and went back to snapping cameos, the whole while her mind going over this InuYasha she had just danced with. Now that she looked at him from further away, it did seem fitting for him to be a biker. He was wearing a loose black shirt with a red and blue fire pattern on the chest, dark jeans, and heavy combat boots. She also noticed several chains hanging here and there from his personage, probably mostly for show.

"For not being your type, you too looked pretty fine together!" Sango plopped herself down opposite of Kagome and propped her head up on her hands to stare at her best friend mischievously.

"He asked to dance! I wasn't going to say no." Kagome said in her defense.

"Ok, whatever you say. But he is pretty hot, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Is he a friend of Miroku's?" Kagome asked as she peered over a vase of flowers at the smiling groom.

"Yep, apparently they've been best friends since birth. InuYasha's quite a character though. You know he's been in jail twice?" Kagome turned wide eyes to Sango. "Yeah, for disturbing the peace and armed assault!" Sango stated as she watched InuYasha find his way to Miroku and start talking.

"Gosh. That's quite a record." Kagome sighed. "Oh yeah! What can you tell me about this Kikyou girl?"

"Oh, that slut! She was one of Miroku's ex-girlfriends. And come to think of it, she was InuYasha's girlfriend too. But that woman just can't seem to keep her sights on just one guy. Real player, if you know what I mean." Sango rolled her eyes disgustedly.

Kagome nodded her head in understanding. She had met many girls like that in high school, and even more now that she was in college. There seemed to be a never-ending supply. They'd find a hot guy, sleep with him a few times, dump him like a hot coal, and then move on to new meat. But they could also be pretty clingy too, how ironic.

"Oh well. I have no need for a guy right now." Kagome declared resolutely. Sango eyed her with a one-sided smile, and rolled her eyes again.

**xXx**

Miroku and Sango left the reception soon after for their honeymoon off in Fiji somewhere, leaving Kagome to pack up her equipment and head home alone. She drove through the city to her apartment complex and parked the car in her parking space, right in the shadows of the biggest, most beautiful sakura tree in Tokyo. For a moment she stood in the parking gazing up at the sky and its multitude of stars. A light breeze blew through the lot and lifted many pink petals into the air, as well as Kagome's dark green linen sundress.

"Hey papa. How you doing tonight?" Kagome often addressed the sky this way. It had become standard procedure after her father's death.

"Well, I should get upstairs to my apartment. I love you papa. And I miss you too._ Oyasuminasai._"

With that, Kagome walked up to the double glass doors and headed up to her third floor apartment. Once she reached the door, she fumbled for the keys for a moment, found them at the bottom of her purse, and unlocked the door.

One wouldn't have been able to tell that Kagome had come from a poor background. Her apartment displayed dozens of framed black and white photos and everything was neat, clean, and well placed, the work of an artist. Her kitchen décor was cool yellow and white; the living room was pale green and light brown. Her room was done in a black and white art deco style, as any rich noble might do. Of all the rooms, the guest room was the dullest. Off white walls, cream coloured lace curtains, and simple white comforters. This was Kagome's world. Anyone that challenged it would regret it.

After a long shower and light supper Kagome settled into her bed and flipped off the light. _A good end to a productive day. _She thought to herself. She whispered a prayer that Sango and Miroku would be happy together and promptly fell into a deep sleep.

**End of Chapter **

**Phrase Translations:**

_**Hayaku**_: Quick

_**Sakura:**_ Japanese cherry tree

_**Youkai:**_ Demon

_**Inu Youkai:**_ Dog demon

_**Konnichiwa: **_Good Afternoon

_**Oyasuminasai: **_Good Night


	2. Endings and… Beginings

**Disclaimer: **You guys know what I'm gonna say. Nope… not mine.

**Author's Notes: **Okay, here we go again. I'm sorry for the format changes and all, but my computer is whacked. It's really hard to programme things on this. N e wayz. I'm trying. Thanks, to all you who reviewed on my first chapter, I appreciate it. Okay, now I shut up… _**(cricket noises)**_

**Chapter 2: Endings and… Beginnings**

The morning dawned bright and early for InuYasha… if you can call seven-thirty on a workday early. A long night of partying and… other activities had kept him up to the wee hours of the morning, and nursing a killer of a hangover. It was the sounds of his phone that woke him that morning.

"_**(bleep!)**_ that stupid phone!" Came a growl from deep within the black and red duvet cover. When it seemed that the caller was truly serious after ten rings without answer, InuYasha snatched up the offending object and snarled into the mouthpiece, sleep and drink slurring his words slightly.

"This had better be good!"

"Yasha baby! Did you enjoy your night on the town?" Came the sickeningly sweet voice of Kikyou.

"Dang you, wench! Don't patronize me!" InuYasha growled threateningly.

"I'm sorry dear. I was just wondering how your romp with the ladies went. You know I'm always so concerned about your well being, just like you are of mine." Kikyou stabbed back, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.

"Why the heck would you care, and why would I give a _**(bleep!)**_ about you? You're the one that cheated on me, remember!?"

"Oh, such harsh words! I'm hurt Yasha! I thought we had a deeper relationship than that. I thought you really cared about me."

"How many times do I have to pound this into your thick skull, wench!? We… are… FINISHED!!" InuYasha shouted into the phone, causing the person on the other end to pull away momentarily.

"But Yasha love, I thought you loved me!" Kikyou tried her best to sound innocent.

"I _NEVER_ said that! Maybe it came close to love at the beginning, maybe then I cared about you and your sorry _**(bleep!)**_. But after you ran off with that _**(bleep!)**_Naraku, I definitely never will again! Woman, you have pushed me way too far and there is no getting it back after that!" InuYasha growled into the receiver

"But Yasha…" Kikyou whined pitifully.

"We're through!!" InuYasha cut Kikyou off with a deep growl and slammed the receiver into its cradle as hard as he could. It was surprising that the phone was still in one piece when he took his had off and combed back his unruly silver hair.

For several minutes InuYasha stared around his room, a frown etched deep into his lips. He and Kikyou _had_ had a "thing" for about four months, which was a long haul for the _hanyou_, but that had been three months ago, and yet the wench kept on calling. He was seriously considering changing his phone number, at least then he could get a little rest. Now he was reminded of how he had spent his night with out care. The worst migraine he had ever had was now hammering away inside his skull, making his vision blurry and his ears ring.

"Where the _**(bleep!)**_ did I put that bottle of aspirin?" He growled as he made his way to the bathroom in his boxers, his well cut torso glowing bronze from sweat in the early-morning sunshine.

After much scrambling about and cursing medicine cabinet doors for being too sharp, he procured the precious bottle and downed three of the fat red and yellow pills without even bothering with water to wash them down.

Clutching the sides of the sink, he gazed at himself in the mirror, his ears twitching back and forth. _Who am I kidding? I'm a hanyou… a half-breed piece of crap! No girl in her right mind wants to be with me for me. They only want my brother's money or the rep of being with the fastest biker in Japan._ Bitter thoughts like these had always plagued InuYasha's mind ever since he was old enough to understand the cruel words of the people around him. His mother and father had been the only one who really loved him. Now he was alone, completely and utterly alone. And there was no way on earth that he would go to Sesshoumaru for help. He had learned early on that his older brother was not the kind of man that one could go to when you need sympathy or help.

It was people, human and _youkai _alike, that had led him to racing street bikes. He felt as though people accepted him more when he played the aloof biker, not that the fact that he could turn a bike on a dime did not help a little. This was the life he had chosen, so he would either just have to keep searching for peace, or learn to live with the looks that people gave him no matter where he went.

**xXx**

Kagome's day started much earlier than InuYasha's. Six-thirty, to be precise. To make sure that she would get up on time, Kagome had strategically placed her alarm clock on the other side of the room, so that in order to turn it off, she had to cross cold tile floors. But it worked like a charm._** (IB:**__ I do that myself… really works.)_ When the little green alarm clock rang the hour, a groan had issued forth from the bed and the soft padding of feet was heard down the hall towards the kitchen.

"Whoever invented the alarm clock needs to be shot." Kagome mumbled on her way to the room of sustenance. Just then, the phone started ringing. She rushed to pick it up.

"_Moshi moshi_? Higurashi speaking."

"Kagome? Thank the _kami_! I totally forgot to ask you last night before we left if you could take care of Kirara for me while we're on the honeymoon. You don't mind doing that for me, do you?" Sango's desperate voice queried. Kirara was Sango's prized pet _neko youkai_ that her dad had given her before the divorce and she meant the world to Sango.

"Not a problem. I'll go pick her up right now. Do you have any cat food left in the bin?"

"Yeah, it's underneath the kitchen sink where it always is. Thank you so much Kagome! I owe you a ton!" With that, the line went dead.

Kagome looked down at the phone in her hand and smiled. _Sango can be so random at times. _But before Kagome could leave to get Kirara, she had to get some _ocha_ into her system. So, she hurriedly made herself some green tea, pulled her hair into a messy ponytail, and snatched her favourite tattered old hoodie from the coat rack. After grabbing the keys to Sango's apartment, she headed down to her car.

**xXx**

The traffic in Tokyo was fairly light for it being Monday, and eight o'clock. Kagome was enjoying it thoroughly though, no complaints about that. Her radio was tuned into her favourite station, traditional Japanese, while she sang along with the many songs that she had heard as a small child riding home from school with her father. At one point in her trip, she stopped at a red light and the music lulled to a dull whisper. Off to her right, Kagome heard a loud motorcycle engine revving up and she turned to see its source.

In the next lane someone wearing a white wife beater that showed off lean muscles and a pair of dark jeans sat astride a Yamaha street racer with a red and silver paint job. A black helmet blocked Kagome's view of the rider's face, but she could clearly she him nodding to her and she smiled back. The light flashed green, and the bike sped off.

"That is so like a guy to show off with something fast between his legs." _**(IB:**__ O.o)_

In no time at all, Kagome arrived at the three-room apartment that Sango was renting, and soon would be moving out of. After fiddling with the keys for a moment, Kagome managed to open the heavy door and stepped into the apartment.

"Kirara! Come here girl!" Kagome called out to the cat. Without warning, a ball of yellow and black fluff filled Kagome's vision and tickled her nose.

"Hey there girl! You ready to come stay with me?" Kirara mewed a happily reply.

Kagome went over to the kitchen sink and retrieved the half full sack of cat food, picked up Kirara, and headed out the door. The fluffy _nekomata_ mewed in Kagome's arms almost as if she was saying something.

"What is it Kirara? Am I forgetting something?"

The tiny little bundle of fur jumped out of Kagome's hold and bounced over to her little cushioned basket. Jumping into it, she sat smack dab in the middle and looked up at Kagome expectantly.

"Right. I forgot your bed. Thanks for the reminder." Kagome laughed. Kirara stepped out of the basket so that Kagome could pick it up and then the pair made their way down the six flights of stairs to the parking lot.

**xXx**

"Hakudoushi, glad you could make it. Did you bring the amount agreed upon?" Onigumo Naraku's silky voice lilted around the stale air of the purple office.

Before him stood a boy barely older than twelve with lifeless violet eyes, pale skin, and long white hair. Hakudoushi was short for his age, and small too, but that didn't stop him from being the number one drug dealer in Tokyo. He, as the old saying went, had his hand in every pot in town. Now he stood before Naraku holding up a bag that contained at least a pound of white powder.

"Good… Good. I'm pleased. Kagura, get my scale off the shelf. I want to make sure I'm not being cheated." Naraku turned to his secretary and smiled evilly.

The tall woman with black hair and red eyes grabbed a little digital scale off the bookshelf and placed it on the large mahogany desk in front of her boss. Hakudoushi dropped the plastic bag down onto the scale and stood back. The meter read exactly one pound. Naraku nodded contently. He opened a drawer on the desk and pulled out a wad of money and tossed it at the boy. It fell short, and the boy quickly stooped to pick it up.

"It's all there. Three hundred and fifty thousand yen, just as we agreed upon." Naraku eyed the boy as he thumbed threw the cash.

"Pleased to do business with you. I'll be on my way now."

These were the first and last words the boy said in Naraku's presence, he did not hang around the office any longer than he had to. Naraku watched him like a hawk as he left. When the warehouse door finally slid shut, Naraku parted the purple shades that hung over the office's one window and peered out at the busy street below.

"They're having a race down there tonight. Motorcycles. Lots of people. Cameras. The police will be there too, of course."

Kagura could hear the wheels in Naraku's twisted mind turning at full speed. He had something evil planned. What was it now? A bomb in the road? "Accidental" gas leak explosion? It had been a while since his last malicious act had been committed. Last year, to be precise it was in December right before Christmas in the town square. A large nitroglycerin bomb hidden in the depths of the city's largest Christmas tree had blown away the crowds, literally. The blast had killed 150 people with countless others injured. Of course, being the snake that he was, no one had been able to pin the deed on him, though all the authorities knew it had been Naraku's doing. He enjoyed seeing innocent people suffer.

"What will it be this time?" Kagura sighed. Naraku's constant scheming was getting on her nerves lately.

"How about that one famous mercenary gang? The ones with the machine guns and such. They could do some pretty good damage. How's that sound?" Naraku never turned to face his secretary, but continued to stare out the window at the busy metropolis. "Get the Shichinintai. I want Bankotsu to do the dirty work." He chuckled darkly.

**xXx**

"InuYasha! Dog-ears! Guess what?" A young _kitsune_ boy shouted across the empty parking lot at the man that just pulled his helmet off.

"What is it, half pint? Finally find a life?" InuYasha loved tormenting the orphaned _kitsune_ Shippou ever since he had showed up at the hang out seven years ago. He thought of the little runt as a baby brother, but never would it do to let the kid know it.

"Kouga's hosting a motorcycle race tonight on Sakura Boulevard! It's gonna be awesome! There's even gonna be some reporters there!" The red haired boy bounded up to InuYasha, his bright green eyes twinkling with barely contained excitement.

"So? Your point is what?" InuYasha asked as he threw his leg over motorcycle in a dismount.

"Do you not wanna to go? There's a seven hundred thousand yen reward to the winner! And there's gonna be lots and lots of hot girls there too." Shippou had to take two steps for InuYasha's every one as they retreated into the abandoned warehouse.

"Why didn't ya mention the money before?" The _hanyou_ growled down to the shorter boy.

"I knew you'd change your mind when I mentioned the reward. It starts at ten. I already told the other guys about it." Shippou smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," There went his cell phone again. "_Moshi Moshi_? Tessaiga talking, spill it." InuYasha shoved Shippou towards the warehouse and walked over to the chain link fence.

"Hey man! It's Miroku. How's it going? I heard about that race downtown. You plan on going?" The deep voice flooded the speaker.

"Yeah, you bet. You know me, ain't no way I'd miss a race, 'specially when money's involved." InuYasha leaned up against the fence and raked his fingers through his messy mop of hair.

"Figured. You going with any one? Any prospective girlfriend?" Trust Miroku to bring up the girls.

"Maybe. Ya know that girl that was at your weddin'?"

"There were lots of girls at the wedding." Miroku replied dryly.

"Thanks for bringin' up the obvious. The one with the green dress and the camera. What's her name?"

"Oh, you mean Kagome! Higurashi Kagome. She's Sango's best friend. You interested? Don't think she's your type. Real clean… The type that gets in for the deep plunge." Miroku warned.

"I can change angels to _youkai_, man, I've done it before and you know that. I can take her. So where's she live?" InuYasha barked.

"Okay, whatever you say. I'm telling you, you'll be sorry before the week's out, she's have you so whipped! She lives on Second Street, right next to the gas station. Apartment 8. Good luck Yasha. Don't come crying to me when you end up alone, I'm warning you." Miroku seemed to know what he was talking about.

"Thanks man. Talk to ya later." InuYasha squashed the red phone on the keypad, thus ending the conversation.

**xXx**

"You want some food Kirara? You haven't eaten since yesterday, have you girl?" Kagome poured out some cat food into a little glass bowl and watched as Kirara leapt up onto the counter and devoured the food, completely forgoing the normal pet behavior of waiting for the bowl to be placed on the floor.

Suddenly there was a loud banging on the door, causing both Kirara and Kagome jump. Kagome hurried to the door and peaked out the peephole. She hurriedly unlocked the three locks, starting with the deadbolt, but left the chain in, just in case. She opened the door as far as the chain would allow and looked at the person who was standing out in the hallway.

"Can I help you?" She asked timidly.

"InuYasha. 'Member me? From the wedding the other day?" InuYasha folded his arms crossed his chest and looked down at Kagome.

"Oh yes! I do! The bike racer! Come on in. Sorry, I'm not really dressed for visitors." Kagome shut the door and undid the chain lock then opened the door wide for the young rogue to step in.

"Doesn't make any difference to me. I seen girls in less. Hardly phases me you got on some shabby shorts and tank top." InuYasha said casually as he gazed around the little apartment.

Kagome blushed and tugged her coat a little tighter around her body, covering the light green spaghetti top she was wearing and pulled her boy shorts a little further down her hips. Looking at the man as he bent and pulled off his boots at the door, suddenly something hit her. It was InuYasha she has seen on the road early that morning!

"Can I get you some _ocha_, or _koh-cha_? I think I might have some coke too. Go ahead and have a seat." She ushered him into the living room.

"Thanks. I guess I'll just take a coke if ya have it." InuYasha sat down on the couch and looked over at the kitchen where Kagome was getting the drinks.

His eyes wondered aimlessly around her apartment. Everything was spotless. Several black and white pictures of Japanese scenery hung on the walls here and there, over by the window was a table covered in coloured pictures of smiling people, some old, some young. Littered all around the room, on every table, were crystal figurines of various different creatures, from horses to dragons. This girl liked order and simplicity.

"Would you like some ice? Or no?" Came a voice from the kitchen.

"No ice."

Shortly after, Kagome entered the living room with two glasses. She handed one to InuYasha and sat down on the love seat. He noticed how she pulled her feet up onto the chair.

"So, what did you drop by for?" Kagome asked after taking a sip of her water.

"Just wanted to see ya again. You got a great place here. How long you been living here anyways?" InuYasha gestured towards the kitchen and dining room, as well as the pictures hanging up.

"Thanks. I've tried to make it cozy. I've been here for about a year and a half. Not long really. How about you? Where do you live?" She asked, trying to make conversation.

"Over on the east side. Been there all my life... Or, since my mom and dad died. Okay, I ain't gonna beat around the bush anymore. You wanna come with me to this race up town? Starts at nine, I think." InuYasha said unabashedly.

Kagome was speechless for a moment, for the second time since she had first met this rag tag man. No guy had ever been so straightforward and forthcoming with her before. Now she was expected to give an answer before her brain could even process the request!

"Uh… sure. Why not?" Kagome finally managed to say.

"Great. I'll come and pick ya up at eight-thirty then. Don't bother with anything fancy, pretty casual affair."

The two continued to talk for quite a while afterwards, but Kagome could not shake the tingly feeling that had now taken a sharp hold on her stomach.

**End of Chapter**

**Phrase Translation**

_**Moshi moshi**_:Hello

_**Nekomata: **_Two-tailed cat

_**Ocha**_ Green tea

_**Koh-cha: **_Black tea

**Notes to the Reviewers:**

Thanks to you who reviewed! **petpeeves12:** Yeah, there a lot of those sort of guys in my school too. Hope I got the whole look right though! **IamHermioneGranger:** Thanks! I hope you liked this chapter just as much!**  
**


	3. Things Get Heavy

**Disclaimer: **Hey you guys… Yeah… You guessed it… InuYasha and Co. doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Rumiko-chan.

**Author's notes:** YAY for me!!! I actually made it to chapter three! This is amazing!! Oky day. Here's a little update. I've been working hard to get this update. Sorry it took me sooooo long to update, I had the whole chapter pretty much done, but then I had to go off to school where this site is banned and then I was grounded from the computer _**(growls).**_But here is the next chapter. Bet you thought I wouldn't get another chapter in, didn't ya? Well, I'm here again to prove you wrong!! N e ways, here's the next chapter and I hope you like it, please review!

**Chapter 3: Things Get Heavy**

"Sango, Sango, Sango!!!! Guess what, guess what, guess what!?" Kagome was jumping up and down with joy, literally, as she called up her best friend to tell her the good news.

"What? You got a tattoo? I'm so proud of you!" Sango laughed sarcastically. She knew very well that there was no way that Kagome would let a needle of any kind touch her, let alone a tattooing needle, but she enjoyed antagonizing her anyway.

"No! I got a date! I'm going down town to watch the motorcycle races!" Kagome squealed like a little schoolgirl with a new crush.

"Sweet. That's awesome. Who's the guy?" Sango was surprised to hear this. It had been their sophomore year of high school the last time Kagome had had a real date, and that had not gone very well.

"You'll never believe it! Tessaiga InuYasha! He came over earlier and asked if I would want to join him to go to the race."

"That's really nice. Enjoy yourself. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" Sango said in a motherly voice.

"Ha ha… Very funny. You know me, I'm not that kinda girl. Anyway, how's the honeymoon going? Having fun?" Kagome finally started settling down as she walked into the living room to watch some TV.

"Yeah! I'm telling you, you need to get married and soon, the perks are great! Alright, I need to go now; we're going out for some dinner. Love you girl, have a good time. I'll call tomorrow." Sango said warmly into the receiver.

"Yeah, you have a good time too. Talk to you later." Kagome smashed the button to end the call and slumped down in the armchair.

InuYasha had left about a half an hour ago, saying that he needed to tweak his bike a little more before the race. He promised to be there on time; right on the dot, and he had also reminded Kagome of the fact that this event was not a formal occasion. Then he had left, leaving only one thing with Kagome. A deep tingly feeling in the pit of her stomach that would not be shaken no matter how hard she tried. She placed her hands over her flat stomach as if it would stop the tingle. A glance at the clock told her she had five hours until she needed to leave. Plenty of time to get freshened up. Maybe a long hot shower would get rid of the tingle.

Kagome turned the knob on the tub and hung her hand in the stream of water to test its heat. When it got to the perfect temperature, she pulled a knob out and let the water redirect to the showerhead. With that, she pulled off her pajamas and hopped in.

**xXx**

At the same time Kagome was talking to Sango, InuYasha pulled into the abandoned parking lot once again. He sat in the middle of the lot for a minute before turning the bike on once more to drive it into the warehouse. If he was going to tweak it, might as well take it in right then rather than later.

Years before, when InuYasha had just gotten into biking, he had won this warehouse in a gamble, and quite a gamble it had been. He had immediately set about turning it into a bike tuning shop, designed specifically for street racers to tweak their bikes, for a small price for the use of his equipment. Mufflers in droves hung from hooks on the walls, tires sat in piles to one side, gas cans full of gas sat around the pit. Oil stained the concrete floors where bikers had tinkered with the settings of their motorcycles. There was even a paint shop on the far side of the warehouse.

"Musou! Get your pretty butt down here!" InuYasha shouted over the sound of the welders and the blaring rock music.

Within a minute's time, a man just a little younger than InuYasha ran out of one of the many upstairs offices and leapt down the stairs. Black hair and plain olive skin marked him as human, along with his tendency to act like a pretty boy.

"I need to get Katsu running a little faster. Got a race tonight." InuYasha gestured to his trusty bike.

"Not a problem. We'll pull her over the pit and get to work. But, uh, when's the race?" Musou scratched the back of his head and looked over at the bike.

"Nine… I think. Pretty sure. Just get her ready by an hour before then! And keep her clean! I don't want all your greasy finger prints on her paint job like last time!" InuYasha stormed off to the biggest of the warehouse's offices and slammed the door shut, leaving Musou staring after him.

"What's with him?" Musou asked the figure that had just walked over.

"Not sure. Probably girl troubles… or stress. Maybe he's constipated." Shippou joked. The two shared a short laugh and then Shippou slapped Musou on the back and made his way to InuYasha's office.

"Hey Yasha. What's new?" Shippou asked as he burst into the office.

"Geez! Do you have to come in here uninvited!?" InuYasha straightened in a flash from whatever he had been doing behind his desk.

"Sorry man. My bad. Watcha doing there?" The fifteen-year-old leaned his hip against the desk and crossed his arms, the same pose that InuYasha often took.

"Looking for my silver chain. I dropped it here sometime last night and now it's gone." Came the muffled reply from below the ebony desk.

Shippou peered over the top of the desk to see InuYasha. He did not even want to bother asking what had been going on in the office the night before that had lost the _hanyou's_ chain. InuYasha's personal life was not something to get into, unless of course you wanted a bloody nose and cracked skull, something Shippou had learned quickly over the past seven years. He shrugged and looked back out the wide window.

"So… uh, you bringing anyone to the race? I think I'm gonna bring Satsuki." He asked nonchalantly.

"If I was bringin' someone to the race, runt, I would never tell you!" Growled InuYasha, still searching for his lost chain.

"What's her name?" Shippou had lived around the rough-cut _hanyou_ long enough to know the difference between what he said and what he meant.

"You never quite, do ya? Annoying pest… Ah-ha! Gotcha!" The hanyou jumped up from the floor clutching the missing chain victoriously in the air, letting the sun streaming in from the window play on its burnished surface. Just then, Shippou burst into peels of laughter.

"What the frick are you laughing at, half-pint!?" InuYasha shot defensively at the laughing teenager.

Shippou could only point at InuYasha's face as he clutched his belly, tears rolling down his cheeks, fluffy red tail quivering from the laughter. The reason for the boy's merriment was the dust and cobwebs that covered InuYasha's face from chin to swiveling dog ear. InuYasha wiped the dust off his face viciously and pointed toward the door. Shippou took the ever so subtle hint (_not!_) and left, still wiping tears from his face.

InuYasha slumped down into his armchair and sighed. He leaned forward, rested his elbows on the desk then rested his head in his hands. After sitting there for at least five minutes, he raked his claws through his silver hair aggitatedly. Pictures of Kagome fluttered through his mind like ghosts. The way her slender hips swayed when she walked, the way her chocolate brown eyes always seemed to smile playfully at him. Her beautiful white teeth smiling at him, her pink lips puckering into a frown, her chest moving in sync to her calm breathing or quivering in laughter. He could not get the girl out of his head, no matter how hard he tried. Forever his mind turned to one question over and over again: _Is she thinking about me?_

**xXx**

In answer to InuYasha's question, Kagome _was_ indeed thinking about him. In a similar manner to the way that he was thinking about her too. All the while she was in the shower, whether washing her wavy hair, lathering her thin body up, or rinsing off. The way his silvery hair caught the sunlight, his amber eyes piercingly gazing at her as if her soul had been laid bare before him, and the twitching of the two white dog-ears that crowned his head. These things played over and over in her head like a broken record. She could see him in fine detail, from the way his shoes were tied to the curious tattoos on his neck and left shoulder.

"Oh dear. I can't go doing this! He's a biker and he probably only wants me to sleep with him. It's the same way every time." Kagome chided herself harshly as she gazed at the full-length mirror in her bedroom.

Slowly, she made herself ready to leave, pulling her hair into a low braid, applying some black kohl to her eyelids and lip-gloss to her lips. Taking InuYasha to his word, she pulled on a loose pair of jeans and a green and white tank top. After a second of gazing into the mirror, she took the tank off and put a blue spaghetti top on instead.

"I'm never gonna be happy with myself, am I?" Kagome sighed. Down at her feet, Kirara mewed softly. Kagome stooped down and picked the tiny creature up and cradled her in her arms.

"Do you think I look okay?" She asked Kirara, holding her at arm's length. A happy mew was the reply and Kagome smiled as she set the _neko_ down on the dresser top.

"I guess I'll stick with the green one. I like green better anyway." Off went the blue top and on went the green and white tank.

**xXx**

"Dang you, Musou! What the _**(bleep!)**_ is takin' so long?! Can't you do anything right?" InuYasha burst out of his office to look down at his precious bike, cursing the young mechanic that had come up to his office.

It had taken Musou a lot longer to change the settings on the motorcycle then he had first predicted. A whole hour longer to be exact. Once he was done, the bike had been covered in greasy fingerprints and oil splashes, exactly what InuYasha had warned Musou not to do. Needless to say, InuYasha was not a happy camper.

"Sorry InuYasha, the motor wasn't working the right way to handle the changes we made. I had to change that too, and that's messy work, ya know." Musou said in his defense, his hands lifted palm up.

"Sorry? Sorry?! Just get her cleaned up! _NOW_! And for all the trouble you're already in, give her a wax job too!" The last words were punctuated by a slam of the metal door and feet stumbling down the stairs as Musou was evicted from the angry man's office.

As soon as everyone was out of hearing range, InuYasha pulled out his cell phone and dialed Kagome's number. _She's gonna kill me. I just know it. But all I can do is apologize. _The phone rang four times before the before the afore said girl picked it up.

"_Moshi moshi_? Higurashi speaking." Came a quiet voice.

"Kagome? It's InuYasha. I'm sorry I'm so late," InuYasha looked down at his watch, half an hour late, "I've been havin' some troubles with the motorcycle. I should be there in an hour, or there about."

"No problem. I'll be waiting. I'll just finish my supper. Since you're so late, I figured I might as well eat." Kagome said. Her voice sounded a little strained, but other than that she sounded fine.

"Good idea. I'll have to take ya to supper some other time." There was a pause in which InuYasha pulled the phone away from his ear and listened to the work down stairs. "Hey, my bike's about done now, I think. I'll be over in thirty minutes." With that he hung up and bounded down the stairs.

"All done. And waxed." Musou moved out of InuYasha's way and went to work on another bike, happy to be done with the volatile _hanyou_.

"Can't trust any of these half wits to do anything right the first time." The _hanyou_ mumble as he pulled his helmet on. He put the bike in full throttle and raced out of the warehouse, hoping that he wasn't too late to pick Kagome up, and get to the races.

**xXx**

Kagome sat at her counter slowly eating her bowl of _oden_. She had lost her appetite about a half an hour ago with the absence of one person. Who it was was an easy guess to anyone that had been around a few hours before hand. She absent-mindedly pushed the last bit of seafood _oden_ around the bowl with her chopsticks and sighed.

_Meow, meow! _Sang the little fluff ball on the kitchen floor.

"Hey girl. Should have known that this would happen. Every guy is the same. Oh well, guess I'll just make the best of it. Maybe he really was having bike troubles." Kagome murmured quietly as she ran a hand over the cat's downy fur.

Just then, a horn sounded down stairs in the parking lot. Kagome walked over to the window and looked down. There was InuYasha straddling his bike looking up at her and waving. He had come after all.

Kagome grabbed her messenger bag and coat and left her apartment. She made her way slowly down the stairs and into the lobby where InuYasha had decided to wait for her.

"Once again, sorry I'm so late. The stupid mechanic messed the bike up and I had to get her cleaned again." The _hanyou_ said once again, trying desperately to cover his bases.

"No problem. I kinda wanted to eat something before we left, especially that _oden_ that's been sitting on my fridge for the past three days. So, are we going to go or not?" Kagome motioned to the door and started walking.

InuYasha stared at her retreating figure and smiled to himself. _What a catch_! He thought. The her hips swayed in the most seductive yet completely innocent way, his mind could barely stay focused on his feet as he followed after her.

Before he knew it, they were standing next to his bike. Pushing her out of his mind, he grabbed a spare helmet that had been strapped to the back and offered it to her. She took it and slid it over her head as he did the same with his own helmet. InuYasha swung his leg over the bike and kicked the stand up. Kagome followed his lead by swinging her own leg over and wrapping her arms tightly around his waist for support.

_Kami help me! She smells so good! _InuYasha's mind buzzed. It was all he could do to kick-start the bike and rev the throttle. Taking a _deep _breath he steadied himself and his wandering mind, and pushed the bike backwards and into the street. With that, the two sped off towards downtown Tokyo.

**xXx**

"_Kagura!"_ Naraku shouted from up in his warehouse office. "Where the _**(bleep!)**_ is that gang?! I thought I told them to be here an hour ago?"

Kagura slowly ascended the stairs to the office and rehearsed what Bankotsu had told her only ten minutes earlier. He had told her about his dislike for Naraku and that the only reason he had agreed to carry out the plan was the money behind it. To make matters worse, he refused to see Naraku until their meeting in front of the hardware shop at the races. Kagura knew that the boss would not like it.

She stepped up to the door and gingerly slid it open. Naraku sat at his desk, his fingers tented and his eyes surprisingly calm. No light streamed in from the window, but the entire room was filled with a sort of purplish glow and the thick stench of rotting flesh, undoubtedly from him and his evil aura. Kagura discreetly put a hand over her nose and stepped in.

"Why aren't the Shichinintai here?" He asked calmly as he started tapping his fingers together lightly. She hated this mood even more than when he was yelling. At least then she knew what was going on, but now… Well, there was no telling what he would do, or what he was capable of doing.

"Bankotsu said that he refused to meet with you here. He said he had gleaned enough information from the phone call you made and he'd just meet you at the races beside Hamamoto's Garage." Kagura replied as calmly as she could while she opened her fan with a deft flick of the wrist.

Before Kagura knew what had happened, she was pinned to the opposite wall with her feet dangling and Naraku's hand pressing dangerously against her throat. His eyes seared into her own like fire, narrowing into thin slits that barely allowed her to see his odd white pupils. A devilish smile curled his lips as he spoke the next statement all to quietly.

"If you ever want to try that same trick, think again. Unless of course, you want me to squeeze your heart free of blood." He lifted his free hand to show Kagura her "spirit" heart. It beat in sync with her fleshly heart, but was almost opaque in appearance. He gave it a slight squeeze for good measure, just to see Kagura gasp in pain and wriggle for freedom.

He released his hold on her and she dropped to her knees clutching her chest. She gasped for breath and reached out a hand to retrieve her lost fan. Pulling together all her shattered pride, she weakly pulled herself up to a dignified kneeling position being far too weak to get to her feet without fainting.

"Go and get the limo ready. I want to arrive in style to see these miserable mortals screaming for their lives." A satirical smile curved across his face as he waved his hand in dismissal.

With as much dignity as she could muster, Kagura left the room and made her way to the garage in the back to get the limo ready for Naraku, silently cursing the very air he breathed as she went.

**xXx**

"Wow!" Kagome breathed as she dismounted the motorcycle and looked around her.

All of Sakura Boulevard was lit up with neon lights and strings of Christmas lights and paper lamps of every colour imaginable. Music blared from every store, mostly rock, but a little rap and techno too. Men and women made ready their motorcycles for the races, cleaning the exteriors and making last minute tweaks in the machinery. Never before had Kagome seen anything like it.

"Do ya like it?" InuYasha asked over his shoulder as he too made ready his trusty Katsu for the preliminary races.

"Do I? It's amazing! I've never seen so many lights before!"

"Don't look too surprised, these guys here're a rough lot. Careful where ya step and who ya happen to step on, ya never know what'll happen," the hanyou stood up slowly and wiped the grease from his hands with an old rag.

"Don't worry about me, I know kung fu!" Kagome ducked into a fighting stance to emphasize her meaning. InuYasha laughed as Kagome smiled and stood up straight.

The first part of the night went without a hitch, seeing as to the fact that InuYasha won every race he entered. Kagome snapped cameos of the whole scene now and then, but mostly kept to herself on the sidelines, watching passively as the races went on and on. The very air she breathed tingled with activity, and she was content to breathe it in alone. She was doing just fine before _he_ showed up.

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in, or should I say, look at what the dog dragged in. Don't tell me you've become an _aikenka_." Came a sarcastic voice to Kagome's left.

She whirled to glare at the man beside her, but threw her hand over her mouth when she saw whom it was that stood beside her gazing out over the races.

"Kouga?! What the _**(bleep!)**_ are _you_ doing here?" Kagome spat at the over-confident wolf _youkai_.

"Is that anyway to treat an old flame? I had rather hoped you'd come to see me. I own this whole shebang, you know? I'm the one that decided Tokyo's streets needed a little livening up." Kouga leaned casually against the window of the hardware store turned disco, and he could not have been much more than a foot away from Kagome's face.

Just then, InuYasha walked over, his smile vanishing when he saw Kouga hitting on his date. He was happy to see that Kagome was not enjoying it though; it made him feel a little bit better. But that did nothing to stop his blood from running cold then boiling hot.

"Hey, flea-bag! Quite hittin' on my date!"

"Well, if it isn't the old half-breed himself," Kouga faked a smile. " I look forward to watching you eat pavement tonight in the final race."

"Don't count on it, two-face. You'll have your tail tucked between your legs and running for mommy before I'm through with you." InuYasha snarled menacingly as he shielded Kagome from the cocky wolf.

"We shall see about that." With that, Kouga turned on heel and made his way to the other side of the street where his own date waited for him.

**End of Chapter**

**Translations:**

_**Moshi moshi**_ Hello (phone only)

_**Katsu**_ Victory

_**Oden**_ a Japanese winter dish consisting of several ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon radish, konnyaku and processed fish cakes stewed in a light, soy-flavoured dashi broth. Ingredients vary according to region and between each household.

_A__**ikenka:**_ A dog lover

**Notes to the reviewers:**

Thank you to all of you for holding on with me, and for reviewing, don't stop writing those reviews!! **Teenagewitchling: **Thanks for the encouragement! InuYasha (in my story) is actually molded by one of my guy friends… Pretty cool, once you get to know him. **Petpeeves12: **Have you ever been to a street race? They're cool… **Darkfire can purehearts: **_**(Laughs at enthusiasm)**_ Thanks for liking the story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much! **Pailynne-a-tron.: **I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	4. Wrong Place at the Wrong Time, or was it

** Disclaimer: **Nope... Not mine.****

Author's notes: Hey all ya'll! How ya feeling? You feeling up to reading another chapter ofmy story! I've been working really hard on this chapter here, took me ten full pages just to get the whole point of the chapter. I feel kinda bad though, I really didn't know where the story was going until I started this chapter, so now I have some direction **_(claps hands)_**... Ok... need to shut up... READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! Oh yeah, one more thing, flames are ok, if you're not too mean, this is only my second fic. **  
**

**  
Chapter 4: Wrong Place at the Wrong Time or Was It?**

"Blasted wolf!"

InuYasha grumbled below his breath for at least an hour about the stupidity of wolves, a certain one in particular. "Where did you say you knew that idiot from?" He snarled in Kagome's general direction.

"We dated for about a month in high school. What a mistake that was!" Kagome sighed in reply.

"Keh." InuYasha huffed as he knelt down beside Katsu and scrubbed at a nonexistent grease spot.

"The race that determines the best racer in Tokyo and the winner of 700,000 yen will begin in ten minutes! The finalists are as follows…" A voice came over the loud speakers and everything stopped, people stood still in anticipation. All that Kagome could remember of the fifteen that where mentioned was that InuYasha was third on the list with Katsu. She squealed with delight and turned to see what InuYasha's response was.

"Good. I need that money." He said calmly. "Kagome, you gonna be ok while I'm racin'?"

Kagome turned away from him in an effort to hide how red she turned at the last comment. "I'll be fine. I'll stay out of trouble. Maybe I'll just snap some pictures while I wait."

"Whatever, just be careful. Well, I better get Katsu ready. I'll be back here bout half an hour from now." The hanyou pronounced and promptly left for the starting lines.

Kagome sighed and leaned back against one of the many windows that lined the street. It had already been a long night, and she knew that the two of them would probably be there for a few more hours after the final race doing who knows what who knows where. She looked down at her watch. One in the morning. A yawn managed to escape her throat before she slid down and plopped her butt on the sidewalk. Off to her right, a flash of something white and shiny caught her attention.

A long white limo was pulling down the road. It parked not even twenty feet down the road from where she sat. The last door slowly opened and a young man who had been lounging around with some buddies stepped up and looked down into the car. For some reason she could not explain Kagome pulled out her camera and aimed it at the limo, focusing in on man that now leaned against car. She snapped at least ten pictures of the goings on at that limo before she finally got up and discreetly moved a little closer.

"I already told you, I'm not going to do anything until they announce the winner! That's the best time to do some damage! Everyone standing in a big crowd, no one will think a thing about a few guys getting a little pushy on the sidelines or even notice if someone happens to pull out a gun." the young man whispered savagely into the car.

"Alright. I'll have the money wired to your account." A silky smooth voice replied from within the dark confines of the limo.

"You'll be seeing my face plastered allover the news with those guns this time tomorrow!" the man said proudly as he brushed his long black braid back over his shoulder.

Kagome's hand flew over mouth to stifle the sound of her gasp. Without knowing where she was going, she turned and ran. Not once did she stop to look back as she shoved her way through the crowds toward the starting lines. Kagome hoped that the races had not yet begun so that she could catch InuYasha and tell him what she had heard. But no luck. Just as she turned the corner the starting gun banged and roar of fifteen engines filled the street.

Not knowing what to do, she pulled out her camera and searched the crowds for the face of the man with the long black braid. She was rewarded with his presence directly across the street where he conveniently lounged only ten feet from the platform where they would announce the winner. Quickly she snapped a few pictures and settled down to wait for the end of the race.

**xXx**

The only way to describe how InuYasha felt was euphoric. He had always loved the sound of an engine beneath him and rush of the wind as he sped down the road. So far, six laps into the race, he was doing pretty well. He was riding right on Kouga's tail, literally, which put him in third place. He was not even really trying too hard. He stayed put where he was until the twelfth and final lap. Putting Katsu into full throttle, he easily passed Kouga and came nose to nose with the first placeholder. It was only a few metres from the finish line that the hanyou started to sweat. He was still nose and nose with the other finalist and he was riding as fast as he could. Pushing Katsu with all his might, he leaned down and hoped that he would make it.

The black-checkered flag came down and waved around for a few minutes until all the contestants had pulled to a stop. The crowds that lined the streets were going wild with screams and hoots and catcalls. InuYasha pulled his helmet off and waved his silver hair free. A smirk curved his lips when he saw Kagome running towards him. But deep down in the pit of his stomach a feeling of alarm churned and only escalated when he saw Kagome's face.

"_Daijoubu_, Kagome? _Douka shita no_?" He said as he grabbed Kagome's arms to help her slow down.

"InuYasha! Something bad's going to happen! I overheard some guys talking!" She wheezed desperately, her breath coming in short gasps.

"When? Do ya know what they're gonna do? Are you sure you heard them right?" He asked calmly, trying to keep the frantic girl relaxed.

Kagome took a deep breath and replied slowly. "They said sometime during the time when they give the winner the money. I didn't manage to hear what they were going to do aside from some casual mention of guns, but I'm almost certain I heard them right. I even saw the guy over by the stage." She pointed towards the platform where people were started to gather.

"Take me to him." InuYasha growled.

Kagome took his hand and led him through the crowds. Just when she spotted the man, who now stood with six others, someone grabbed InuYasha's free hand and tugged him the opposite direction. Both stopped to see who had brought their search to a halt. A young boy, probably around thirteen, held the hanyou's hand and looked up.

"InuYasha-sama, they want you on stage." He said as he pulled InuYasha towards the stage.

"Tell 'em I'll be there in a minute! I got business to attend to!" InuYasha pulled his hand away from the boy with vigor.

"But if you don't come now, InuYasha-sama, they'll have to give the money to the runner-up!" the boy called.

Curses poured through InuYasha's mind as he tired to figure out which option was the best to take. On the one hand, he had money to collect and use to fix up his warehouse, on the other he had a supposed mass murder to check out and get rid of. Deep in his mind, a voice told him that Kagome had probably just heard wrong, besides, she had even said that she was only mostly sure, not completely. After at least a minute of uncertainty, the scale finally tipped toward the stage.

"Alright. I'll be there in a second." He sighed. The boy turned and ran happily toward the stage to get the mics ready.

"InuYasha, what are you saying? What about those guys!?" Kagome searched the young man's face for an answer.

"Kagome, I need that money. Besides, I don't think anything really big is gonna happen," the hanyou said confidently, "but just in case, I want you to come up on stage with me."

Kagome's shoulders sagged as she allowed InuYasha to lead her to the stage. Once they got there, they were ushered to the side of the stage to wait to the presentation of the prize. A handsome young man walked up to center mic and called for the mass' attention. He brushed back a lock of curly black hair from his eyes and proceeded to inform the crowd of what a pleasure it was that they came and to thank various companies for sponsoring the event, the normal pleasantries. When he had finished with the boring stuff, he moved to the side to make room for a young woman. At least, that was what most of the people thought "she" was... it was really a young man, that behaved and dressed very convincingly like any ditzy blonde. He flipped his long black hair away from his face to reveal two purple tattoos that looked almost like triangles that stretched from his eyes to his jaw line. Kagome could only say that this guy gave her the creeps.

"Alright, now for the moment we've all been waiting for!" Kagome caught what looked like a wink from the creep to a bald priest with similar tattoos that stood just off stage.

"And the winner of the grand prize of seven-hundred-thousand yen is…" Mr. Creeps, as Kagome had dubbed him, stopped to deepen the anticipation, "The daringly dashing… Tessaiga InuYasha-sama!"

The crowd went wild with screaming. People pulled poppers, sending streamers and confetti everywhere. The DJ put on a hard rock song and people started dancing and singing along in a wild frenzy. InuYasha stepped forward, pulling Kagome with him, and received the prize from Mr. Creeps. All thoughts in his head of the murderous group fled like scared birds. But Kagome was not as easily fooled or set aside, and she saw the signal that Mr. Creeps gave to someone in the crowd.

Suddenly, gunfire rang over the raucous, through the whole street, and six people fell to the ground either dead or wounded. Chaos ensued and everything except escape was forgotten. InuYasha fell to the floor of the stage and pulled Kagome down with him.

"_**(bleep!)**_, I should have known! Kagome, stay here, and stay the _**(bleep!)**_ down!!" InuYasha yelled over his shoulder as he pulled a gun from his belt and leapt off the platform.

Not wanting to miss the chance of getting some good pictures to sell to the newspaper, Kagome jumped up and lifted her camera _**IB**__: funny how she always seem to do that, eh?)_. She could barely hear the sound of her own thoughts over the screams, sirens, and gunshots. The young woman jumped down into the street and ducked behind a car and continued to snap pictures of the melee. It was not until the platform that she had been standing on not ten minutes earlier exploded and a severed arm splattered down at her feet that the camera dropped and Kagome screamed for help.

Meanwhile, InuYasha was making himself as useful to the policemen that had just arrived. His nine-millimeter seemed to never stop spouting bullets. Now he had his sites set on the bald priest carrying a twelve gauge _**IB:**__man, this is scary… I'm actually naming the guns they're using. O.o)_. Presently, he ducked behind an abandoned car and reloaded his gun. Just then, Shippou dropped down beside him.

"What's going on?" He shouted over the roar of the fires and guns.

"Hired mercenaries. Hey, what happened to your girl?" InuYasha peeked out from behind the car to see if he could get a good shot, but ended up turning into the target himself and ducked back as a bullet glanced off the car.

"She had a twelve o'clock curfew. Good thing too. Hey, should I send my _kitsune-bi_ at him for a distraction?" Shippou asked, eager to be helpful.

"No, I need ya to go and get Kags off that platform, I have a feeling it's gonna end up in pieces." Even as he said this, a short and squat little man threw what looked like a grenade at the platform, blasting the whole thing into smithereens.

"_**(bleep!) **_you, _**(bleep!)**_er!!" InuYasha screamed. "Shippou, get out of here and wait for me at the warehouse! I'm gonna finish off that _**(bleep!)**_, and then I'll meet ya there! Go!" he shouted as he shoved Shippou towards his bike.

He cocked the gun and jumped out into the chaotic melee with a violent fury. The moment he spotted the man, he called a challenge and started firing his gun. The man, seeing he was, at best, cornered, shoved his hand into his pocket and threw little pouch to the ground where it promptly exploded in smoke and gas. InuYasha coughed and put his arm over his mouth and nose. He cursed inwardly and outwardly about sensitive noses and such, then followed where he guessed the man had disappeared.

Just as he penetrated the cloud, he eyed the man making his escape up a fire escape ladder. The hanyou grabbed a dagger he had concealed in his boot and sent it spinning hilt over blade towards the gasser. True to his aim, it buried itself in the little man's back and he fell to a very painful and slow death on the streets. InuYasha brushed the sweat off his brow and growled. _Now to find Kagome's body and get out of here. _Having no more ammo in his gun, he shoved it back into his belt and sprinted off.

He made his way easily through the streets to the wreckage of the stage and began digging through the splintered boards for Kagome.

"InuYasha! _Abunai_!" he turned to see Kagome standing a few metres away then turned to see what she had been calling out for him to see.

Off to his left stood the tall young man with the long black braid holding up silver handgun with his sites set on InuYasha. Evil flashed through his eyes and pulled a wicked grin over his lips, revealing rows of perfectly straight white teeth.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, if only for a few seconds. The name's Bankotsu." He called over the din.

"It ain't a pleasure." InuYasha growled menacingly.

"OK then, I'll make this short." Bankotsu cocked his gun squeezed the trigger.

InuYasha gritted his teeth and braced for the impact of the shot, hoping it would not hit anything vital. But the impact never came. He opened his eyes to see Bankotsu smiling and lowering his gun slowly. The hanyou spun to see Kagome collapse to the ground holding her bleeding shoulder.

"Kagome-!"

"Uh, uh, uh." Bankotsu sang, "I'm your opponent, leave the girl to die. She is just a human anyway."

"You sick twisted jerk! You'll pay for that!" InuYasha leapt forward and swiped at the man with his claws.

Bankotsu nimbly evaded the swipe and hit InuYasha on the back of his head with the butt of his gun as he passed. This only served to enrage the hanyou even more, who now fought for all he was worth. With a deft flick of his arm, he dug four red lines across his opponent's chest. Just when he seemed to be getting the upper hand, a black van drove by and its sliding door swung open. Someone called to Bankotsu, who in turn jumped in and rode off through the fire and dead bodies.

"_Dajakuna_!" InuYasha called to the retreating van. He did not have time to follow up though. He had to see if the bullet had done any serious damage to Kagome.

He knelt down next to the girl and asked how she was. Her face twisted in pain, she took her hand off her left shoulder and looked down at it. Blood dripped steadily from it, her once green tank top was now slowly turning deep crimson from the blood. She looked up at his face with eyes brimming with tears.

"Come on, we gotta get you to a doctor." InuYasha scooped the girl up bridal style and started jogging.

"What about your bike?" Kagome asked.

"Shippou took it a while ago. Don't worry, I know how to get ya there faster anyway." With that, he took a flying leap and began to soar through the air, occasionally jumping from roof to roof to gain momentum. Kagome let out a frightened squeal and hid her face deep in his chest. He would have smiled, had he not been so worried about her. She had lost a lot more blood than he had first thought; he could feel it trickling down his chest, not to mention smell it's distinct iron tang. He had to get her to the hospital soon; she was growing paler and weaker with each passing moment.

**xXx**

It only took about five minutes to get to the hospital and six minutes to be waited on, mostly due to the fact that both persons were covered in fresh blood. The doctor gave a positive prognosis though, saying that all Kagome needed aside from a sling and bandages was lots of rest. The blood she had lost would come back in no time and the wound would heal, although it would leave a scar. So much for flawless skin.

"Are ya sure you're gonna be ok?" InuYasha asked as he dropped Kagome off at her apartment.

"I'll be fine." Even as she said this, her knees gave out beneath her. InuYasha was right there, though, and caught her before she fell.

"Keh, like I believe that." He scooped her up into his arms _**IB:**__ Dude! NEVER listen to sappy love songs when writing love scenes!! Who knew I could be such a hopeless romantic. I guess it comes when ya got a bf that is… )_. With that, he carried her up to her apartment and helped her in.

"Thanks InuYasha." A blush flooded Kagome's face as the hanyou let her done just inside the door.

"Keh, whatever. I'm just sorry it had ta end like this."

"Hey, everyone needs a little excitement now and then." Kagome smiled and patted her left arm, which was now held in a sling to keep her wound from opening.

InuYasha had to smile. He admired her spirit. She had spunk and that was more than he could say for some of the girls he had been with. He had half expected her to be dead from the bullet wound, and when she had not died, he had expected her to scream at him for getting her into the whole thing and almost killing her. But she had not done that. She had _joked_ about it _**IB:**__ More than I could say for myself -.-)_! More than anything, he wanted to learn more about her, what made her tick, everything.

"Well, goodnight, InuYasha." Kagome said quietly.

"_Oyasuminasai_." InuYasha turned around and started walking down the hallway.

"Oh! InuYasha?" He turned to see Kagome half in, half out of her door.

"Thanks." She smiled shyly and nodded to him. He gave her a half smile and nodded back before descending the stairs to the lobby.

**xXx**

Kagome closed and locked the door, leaned heavily against it and sighed. It had been quite a night and she was exhausted. When she looked up the clock above the TV, she did the classic anime sweat drop and sank to the floor. _How am I going to make it to the bedroom? I'm too tired to even walk!_ Just then, Kirara appeared out of nowhere and rubbed against her legs in an effort to comfort the wounded girl.

"Hey girl. Is this a way of telling me to get up off my butt and go to bed?" The little _nekomata_ mewed softly.

Kagome gathered all her strength and pushed herself up with her good arm, wincing slightly when she straightened out. She took one step forward before she crumpled to the floor. She gazed longingly down the hall to her room. Suddenly a great burst of flames enveloped the tiny cat at her side and left a giant sabre-toothed cat when it had faded.

"I haven't seen this side of you before!" Kagome gasped at the transformed Kirara in astonishment.

The now giant cat nudged Kagome to a standing position and allowed the young woman to lean heavily on her as they made their way to the back room. Slowly, with Kirara's help, she made her way to the bedroom, carefully pulled off her soiled clothes and threw them into the hamper.

"Thanks girl." She sighed as she rubbed the still downy fur of Kirara's head.

Flames once again whirled around the cat and left a tiny _nekomata_ in its wake. The yellow and black cat jumped up onto the bed and mewed. Kagome chuckled shuffled over to her bureau. She dug through her drawers for a minute before pulling out a warm but threadbare pair of flannel pants and an old shirt she had had from fifth grade. It had been like a dress then, but now it fit quiet nicely, even if the logo was a bit cheesy with its big green bug eyed frog that said "You're ribbeting!"

"Good night papa. _Aishiteru yo_." Slowly, she fell into a deep sleep.

**xXx**

The next morning dawned earlier than Kagome would have wanted. Her alarm clock was once again her undoing. It chimed out a happy tune at seven o'clock sharp and ended up on the floor next to the table it had occupied shortly before. Kagome sat on her bed for at least ten minutes before finally resigning herself to another day. She had classes that day, but decided that all she wanted was to sleep, so she called in sick.

Sluggishly she made herself a pot of tea and sat down to that and a slice of toast. It was about eight-thirty when her phone rang for the first time that day. Biting back a curse, she took one last bite of her toast and picked the phone up off its cradle and held it up to her ear.

"Moth moth, Higuthathi thpeaking." She said through a mouthful of bread before swallowing.

"Oh my gosh! Kagome! I'm so glad you're alive!" Sango's worried voice flooded the line.

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"The whole thing with the race last night! I woke up early this morning and flipped on the TV and saw the whole thing on the news! The whole place was trashed and they said the over two hundred people were dead, and only ninety-six of those bodies had been claimed! I no idea whether you had lived through it!" Sango sucked in a breath.

"Yeah, I'm alive. I did get bullet in my shoulder though." Kagome said casually.

"You WHAT!?!?" Kagome pulled the phone away from her ear and winced at the volume Sango had chosen.

"I got shot in the shoulder. But I'm fine, really. They said it should heal in a week or two."

"That's what they always say. Glad I'm coming home tomorrow, then I can pummel some common sense into your head!"

"Thanks for caring Sango. By the way, you were the one that suggested I go." Kagome breathed calmly, now fully awake. It was silent on the other side for a few minutes.

"Sorry Kags. You know I love you, right?" Sango queried.

"Yeah, I know."

"Hold on a minute, would you?" Kagome heard the sound of a painful slap and something hard hit the floor. She smiled and chuckled into the phone. Miroku the lech had struck again.

"Can't you see I'm having a sentimental moment with my best friend? Couldn't you save the lechery for later!?" Sango yelled at the offending man. He mumbled a reply and she put the phone back up to her ear.

"Sorry about that Kagome, some men can't control themselves."

"No problem. But I do think I need to go now. I got some stuff to do." The girls said their goodbyes and hung up.

Kagome grabbed her camera and purse, which had somehow ended up on her couch _**IB:**__ I wonder -.-)_. Popping the back flap of the camera, she pulled out the film and dug though her purse for the three other rolls she had used _**IB:**__ She's a shutterbug like me, I love to take pictures!)_. She walked into her bathroom and pulled two tin canisters out from under the sink, shut the door, and flipped the lights off. With practiced ease, she popped the film holders open, transferred the film to the reel, and shoved them into the canister. Then she turned the lights back on and went about developing the film.

While she was doing that, she turned the TV and tuned into her favourite soap. She had a thing for soaps when it came to doing her film developing. She sat there entranced for forty five minutes before finally turning the TV off and hanging the film up to dry. She would wait for a few hours to start checking out if there were any pictures worth printing.

**xXx**

The sound of the ceiling fan whirring at top speed, metal welders buzzing down in the warehouse, even that obnoxious rock music playing full-blast could not clear InuYasha's mind like it had in years past. Images of the night before flooded his memory like a tsunami. Guns blazing, people falling like flies, fires searing through the streets, and most of all, Kagome falling. He did not want to think about that, he did not want to get attached to her, and especially with the way his last relationship had ended. But Kagome seemed different, more innocent and incapable of doing the same things Kikyo had.

"Dang women make things so confusing." He sighed as he leaned back into his seat.

Just then, a certain _kitsune_ boy walked in and opened up the shades of the window, letting the sun's light pour into the room. A low growl rumbled down in the hanyou's chest and he slowly stood to face the offending being.

"Why the (_**bleep!)**_ did you do that!?" He near screamed at the boy.

Shippou shrugged his shoulders. "It's passed noon, InuYasha, and there are things to do. Besides, you said yourself that Kagome was gonna be ok."

InuYasha's shoulders sagged as he sat down on the corner of the desk. He ran his claws savagely through his hair and then shoved them into his pockets. Shippou was right, there was a lot to do yet, and he knew that Kagome would be fine. He only hoped she did not hate him for the night before, though he would have totally understood her if she did.

"Com' on, InuYasha-sama, there was something I wanted to show you." The young man allowed Shippou to take his hand and drag him down the flight of stares to the welding shop, and resolved that he would not think about Kagome… at least for now.

**xXx**

"Dang it, they're all blurry!" Kagome held up several strips of processed film and wondered how they had all ended up turning out so bad, she was a professional with lots of training and practice.

Down at her feet, Kirara mewed and nudged a sleeve of film towards Kagome, almost like she wanted Kagome to check this one before giving up completely. Kagome picked the sleeve up and held it up to the light. Of the twenty-four pictures, ten were in focus. She squinted her eyes and looked closer. These were the pictures she had taken of Bankotsu and the man he had been talking to.

"Thanks Kirara. I'll just blow these up with the enlarger and see how they look." Kagome ruffled the _neko's_ fur.

Once she had gotten the pictures all enlarged and printed she lined them up on her kitchen counter and studied them. Most of them were of Bankotsu's back, or of his face and completely useless, but one stood out. It was a side view of the young man leaning up against the car and you could see into the limo a little too. She picked it up and looked closer. A small gasp escaped her mouth. There was a man sitting on the seat with long wavy black hair and strange eyes! He was the one who had commissioned the whole thing!

Kagome snatched up her cell phone and dialed out a number as fast as her fingers could move. She started pacing impatiently when it started ringing. _Pick up, come one, pick up the stupid phone!_ The other side clicked and someone answered.

"InuYasha! I know who got the whole thing started last night! He's right here in the picture!"

**END of CHAPTER**

**TRANSLATIONS:**

_**Daijoubu?**_: Are you ok?

_**Douka shita no?:**_What's wrong?

_**Abunai**_: Watch out!

_**Dajakuna: **_Coward

_**Oyasuminasai:**_ Goodnight

_**Aishiteru yo:**_ I love you

**Notes to the reviewers:**

OK, now it's time to answer those reviewer (all three of 'em T-T)! **kagome2234: **here's another chapter just for you guys that reviewed! Thanks a million! **sasha the water goddess: **thanks, I'm trying really hard… I worked on this chapter for a whole week! **petpeeves12: **Yeah, they're really fun. I hope you liked the little epi with the guns and such!

**Final words:**

PLEASE REVIEW ALL OF YOU _**(gets down on knees and begs), **_I'm begging you! I need more input from you guys!! Ok… time to go! Sayonara!!


	5. Things Start Brewing

**Disclaimer: **Sorry, I completely forgot to put a disclaimer on the last chapter… But I'll just say that for this whole story… yeah, you know. I don't own anything but the plot (**sad face**).

**Author's Notes: **Hey there my friends! I promised you I'd get this chapter before school started, didn't I?! Actually, school starts today in about six hours. Like I said on my profile, which I doubt anyone read, I won't be updating this story for at least three months since we have a very sucky internet service at school. But that will not stop me from typing out a few chapters while I'm there, then you can have a few to read all at once! So please don't give up on me, 'k? I'm trying my best! Oh yeah, sorry if there's a bunch of mistakes and stuff in here, I wrote this all really fast. Feel free to tell me what's wrong, I'll try to fix it. Ok, shutting up! Read. Enjoy. _**Review**_!

**Chapter 5: Trouble Starts Brewing**

"_Houshi-sama_? Are you awake?" Sango knelt down by the couch in the living room where her husband lay napping. His eyelids fluttered and then opened, revealing his sleepy violet eyes.

"Sango, how many times have I told you to stop using that name? We're married now so there is no need for the formalities." Miroku sat up and patted the cushion beside him.

Sango took the invitation and leaned heavily against Miroku's shoulder. He lifted his arm and draped it gently over the woman's shoulder and rested his chin on her head. Neither one moved for a few minutes.

"Hou- I mean, Miroku," Sango stumbled, "I'm worried about Kagome. She sounded ok, but…"

"I'm sure she's fine. She _is_ twenty-one, you know. Perfectly capable of taking care of herself." Miroku squeezed his wife's lean shoulder closer to him in an effort to comfort her.

"Yeah, I know. But still, I have a bad feeling about the whole thing, you know?"

"I understand." The young man sighed. "We still have three more days here though."

"That's what really bothers me. I want to stay here so bad, but I also want to be beside Kagome-chan." Sango whined pitifully.

Miroku sighed again and ran a hand through his short black hair. "If it's really what you want, we can just continue our honeymoon somewhere else at some other time, if you really do want to be with Kagome right now."

Sango pulled away and looked into her husband's face. Her eyes searched his as if looking for a sign that he had only been joking about what he had just proposed. "Would you really do that?"

"Anything for my Sango." Before he knew it, he was on the floor, Sango's arms around his neck, kisses peppering his neck and face in rapid succession. Apparently she had been so happy, her hug had knocked him onto the floor. He smiled happily.

"Thank you so much! You have no idea what this means to me! I-" A vein in Sango's forehead bulged. There he went again, at the worst times. Her arm swung in its well-known path and left a stinging red handprint on Miroku's left cheek. She got up off the floor and sat down on the couch seething, arms crossed indignantly over her chest.

"What?! What'd I do wrong? Is it bad for me to know every inch of you now that you're mine?" Miroku knelt down at Sango's knees and looked up at her imploringly. In his book, groping was okay, especially since he was married to the woman _**(IB:**__ such a hentai. But we love him anyway!)_.

"You never know when to stop, do you?" Sango sputtered as she looked down into his eyes. She was losing her resolve.

"Why do I need to? I'm memorizing my bride's body!" He took her hands in his and smiled up at her.

Her shoulders slumped and she leaned back against the couch with an irritated sigh. She hated it when he did that, smiled at her that way. He always won like that, no matter how hard she tried. That smile sent shivers up her spine, made her fingers tingle strangely, and made her heart flutter like a frightened bird. She gave up trying and leaned forward, letting her head rest on his forehead.

"Does that mean we get one more time before we check out?" Miroku asked hopefully.

"Don't push your luck!"

**xXx**

Kagome sat in a tiny booth at the far end of a local coffee house. Jazz music played softly, just barely audible over the many conversations and clicking of coffee mugs. She lifted her own mug and took a sip of coffee. When she had called InuYasha about the photo, he had suggested that they meet somewhere quiet to discuss what was to be done. He was late, again. Kagome tapped the tabletop lightly with her nails and glanced at her watch. Fifteen minutes in counting. A pretty young waitress came up and asked if she could bring her anything else. Kagome sighed and ordered another cup of coffee and resigned herself to waiting just a little bit longer. Just then, who walked in the door but the infamous _hanyou_ himself? He looked around for a minute before spotting her in the corner slid into the seat opposite.

"Sorry, traffic was killer." He said casually as he ordered. Kagome shivered involuntarily.

"So where's the picture?" He wasted no time getting right to the point.

Kagome lifted her shoulder bag to her lap and pulled out a tiny folder. She opened it and did her best to finger through six or seven pictures with one hand in a sling before finally finding the one she was looking for. She pulled it out and handed it to InuYasha. He took the procured piece of glossy paper and held it close to his eyes, even though his eye sight was far better than any humans, he wanted to make sure that he was seeing right. After a moment of studying it intently, he sighed and set the picture down, replacing it with a cup of coffee.

"Well? Was I right?" Kagome peered into his face, which now was hidden behind silvery bangs.

"Yeah, ya were. So what?" He looked across to her over his cup, his golden eyes pinning her to the booth.

"Can't we do something? Like take this to the police or newspaper?" She asked hopefully.

"Won't do ya any lick of good."

"Why the heck not? This guy caused a lot of deaths, obviously the police would be looking for him!"

"He owns half of Tokyo. And he's a good-for-nothin' slippery weasel. There is no way on earth that this photo would do anyone any good." The _hanyou_ leaned back against his seat and stared at the young woman squarely.

This was the first time he had really truly looked at the girl. Her long raven-black hair was pulled into a tight twist at the back of her neck, her fair skin slightly flushed with annoyance, her chocolate brown eyes flickering with some hidden light. Even with her pink lips pulled into a frown, Kagome was beautiful. She had a spunky spirit, independence, and heart the size of "the continent" _**(IB:**__ I'm pretty sure that's how the Japanese refer, or referred to, China). _

"Well, if you're not going to do anything, then I will!" She reached across the table, grabbed the photo, and made as if to leave, if InuYasha had not grabbed her wrist when he did. She turned a glare down at the man.

"You're playin' with fire, take that from someone who's been burned a few too many times. I know what I'm talkin' about here." The way he looked at her pulled her back down into the booth.

"What do you mean?"

"That's a long story, and I don't wanna go into it, not right now. Just believe me when I say you're makin' a big mistake. The best thing to do is just let it go. There's no way you can win." He said slowly as she settled back down.

Kagome stared at him for a minute, trying to find the reasoning behind the statement. Had he been a victim of Naraku's plans at one time? What had he lost? Her gaze softened and a slight smile replaced the frown that had graced her features mere minutes before. If he was going to tell her how he had been burned before, he would tell her in his own time, so she simply sat back and gazed out the window into the busy streets.

**xXx**

InuYasha and Kagome sat in the tiny coffee shop for a few hours just talking about whatever seemed good at the time. They ordered lunch and sipped on at least three cups of coffee before Kagome announced that she had some things to take care of. So they both went their separate ways, Kagome to her home, and InuYasha to his hang out. Yet neither of them was aware of the eyes that followed their every move as they left.

"You're what?! I thought you'd be in Fiji for a few more days! Why the heck are you coming back now?" Kagome held her cell phone close to her ear trying to hone in on the sound of her best friends voice over the din of the busy streets.

"I wanted to be with you. Plus I can't stand Miroku's 'cursed' hand a moment longer. Is Kirara doing ok?" The woman replied.

"She's fine. Plucky as ever. Hey, if you're gonna be stopping off at my apartment, you'll need to use that spare key, I won't be home for a while,"

"Why? Got some hot date or something?" Sango smirked when her friend groaned.

"No, I have to do something at the local newspaper. I should be back around six, so if you want to hang around till then…"

"Sure. And tell ya what, I'll fix some supper for us too!"

"Great. I'll see you then." Kagome smashed the end call button and shoved her phone back into her bag, heading unwaveringly towards the local newspaper's headquarters. _I have some serious business to attend to!_

**xXx**

Kanna's lifeless eyes followed each move that Kagome made and kept her little ornately decorated hand-mirror focused on the girl so that the boss could see the goings-on too. He had sent her out to keep and eye on Kagome, make sure she did not fess up about anything she had seen. From the looks of it, she was doing just that. Kanna shifted her gaze to a sign above the door into which Kagome had disappeared. _Tokyo Sun_. Not good.

"_Kanna. Where is she?" _Naraku said quietly inside Kanna's mind.

The young girl pointed her all-seeing mirror towards the door that Kagome had just entered. The bright neon letters flashed happily over double glass doors that never seemed to be able to get all the way closed before someone pushed it in or out again. Kanna heard Naraku give a small sigh that seemed almost remorseful. Almost.

"_She insists on being difficult... No matter. She'll soon be out of my hair." _Naraku chuckled.

Deep down in his twisted mind, Naraku was thinking of all the sick and twisted ways that he could bring about this young girl's definite demise. Would it be to slowly picking off her family, breaking into her apartment late at night and doing what any evil man would do, or an "accident" in the streets or at home? The possibilities were infinite, and he was determined to think of _all_ of them before making his selection. Back in his office over looking Tokyo Harbour, an evil smile smeared over the man's handsome features _**(IB:**__ He is sort of cute, you have to admit that!)_. This was only the beginning…

**xXx**

"Haven't you taken this to the police yet?" The old man behind the desk looked over his glasses at the young woman that sat calmly in the seat facing the desk.

"Well, no. I had this feeling that they wouldn't be of much help." Kagome said quietly.

"Ah. Well, these are great pictures. Very well exposed and developed…" The old man said as he went through the pictures again for the fifth time.

"But…?"

"I'm not sure it's safe to print these. You know how these villains get. I can't guarantee your safety."

"No worries. I'm not asking you for that. I'm sure that they won't be able to find out who took the pictures if you don't publicize it, especially since there were dozens of people with cameras there. Just don't publish my name along with them, if you wouldn't mind." Kagome said with a quick smile as she pushed a lock of stray hair out of her eyes. She was determined to get those pictures into the news. People needed to know who had taken away so many loved one's lives.

The old man looked at her for a moment then sighed in resign. "Alright, Miss Higurashi. I'll put them into tomorrow's edition, with no affiliation to you. Is this going to be enough yen?" The man asked as he scrolled out a figure on a check.

"Yes, that'll be fine," Kagome took the slip of paper and placed it in her wallet. "_Arigotou gozai-masu_." She stood and bowed politely to the man.

"_Dou-itashimashite. _My pleasure. I hope to continue doing business with you, perhaps when you do not have a picture of such questionable… er… well, you know. But I do admire your tenacity. You remind me greatly of my daughter." The man's eyes sparkled with tears unshed as he ushered the young woman out.

Kagome stepped out into the street and breathed in deeply. Somewhere deep down in the pit of her stomach, something did not feel quite right. Something was wrong with what she had just done. But what? She quickly pushed it aside and shook her head. _Time to get home! I have to catch up with Sango-chan and eat some of her cooking!_ With that, she briskly began to walk back to her tiny home and her awaiting friends completely unaware of the hot pot she had placed herself into.

**xXx**

InuYasha's silver dog-ears twitched back and forth from their perch atop his head as he lay sprawled out on his crimson and black covered bed. This girl was driving him crazy! He had only met with her a few times, but he could not put her aside as one of his normal flings. Now she had put herself into the worst kind of danger imaginable. He had followed her after she left the coffee house, followed her right up to the door of the newspaper. Right up to the lion's den.

He let out a tired and mournful sigh and rolled over onto his stomach, pulling a bright red pillow over his head. Images of his mother's horrifying death engulfed his mind. All her suffering… and blood. And there he was, in the corner of the room, a tiny pup huddled in his mother's discarded kimono, shaking like a leaf in a gale. What a night that had been, seeing his mother raped and killed right in front of him.

"_Okaasan. _Why? Why couldn't I avenge you?"

Just as always happened, no answer was given. The question met silence. And the silence was deafening. His ears rang louder than his thoughts. In desperation the _hanyou_ leapt off his bed, scattering his pillows hither and yon, smashed the power button on his stereo and turned the volume up full blast. Hard rock music pounded away, almost threatening to bust the speakers, but he did not care. InuYasha threw himself back down on his bed and watched the condensation on his forgotten glass of soda trickle down to form a pool that then turned to a stream of water dripping off the bed stand to the floor. _No matter what happens to me, I'll protect her. I __**will not**__ let him take another innocent life! And in doing so, I pray, Okaasan, that I will avenge your death. _

With that, the young man slipped into a forgiving sleep. It was the most restful sleep he had had in who knows how many years without _sake_ or a woman's _**(IB:**__ ahem!)_ pleasurable company to help. No one dared bothered him until the next morning, when his alarm clock issued the start of a new day, and perhaps even a new mindset.

**xXx**

Taking the steps two at a time, Kagome made her way straight to her apartment. She fairly sprinted to the door in her excitement. Not very lady-like, she had to admit, but she did not care at the moment. She turned the key in the lock and stepped down into the entrance. This area was a slight depression in the floor most common in Japanese homes, where one's shoes were discarded and house shoes replaced _**(IB:**__ kinda funny, but I've known a lot of Asians that have that same thing. Keeps the house clean!)_. Kagome pulled her flats off, slipped into her blue house slippers, and entered the living room all grins. She could her Sango singing along with the radio, and guessed that Miroku was sitting at the table writing _sutras_ as he always did when he was not being a pervert

"Sango? I thought you quite singing after Yuki said you were tone deaf!"

The afore mentioned woman poked her head around the kitchen entrance, flour covering her face. She squealed with delight and rushed to embrace Kagome in a tight hug.

"Hey! I'm glad to see you too, but don't forget about my shoulder." Kagome reminded Sango as she pulled away from the finely toned woman.

"Oh gosh! I'm sorry! I didn't hurt you, did I?" Sango asked worriedly.

"Not really. It's just really tender, ya know?"

"Well, come on into the kitchen. I need some help getting the meat bunsready." Sango said over her shoulder as she walked back into the kitchen.

"I've been slaving away over these things, so I hope they taste ok." She muttered as she went back to work.

"I'm sure they will Sango, you're a great cook! Oh, hey Miroku-kun!" Kagome walked over the table where the priest was doing just as she guessed, writing _sutras_. He pulled her into a gentle hug, but not without copping a quick feel.

Kagome sprang back and placed a stinging red handprint on Miroku's left cheek. "Miroku! You have a wife now!" She sputtered as she backed up a few steps.

"Just for old times sake. Meant nothing by it." He said innocently enough, his hands held up in defeat.

Kagome just raised an annoyed eyebrow and turned to see Sango's reactions to the incident. She too, looked slightly annoyed standing there in the kitchen doorway with her arms akimbo but as a whole not overly worried or concerned. She knew very well that he meant it in no harm to his wife, simply fulfilling an old habit. Too bad it was so hard to shake.

"Come on Kagome-chan, I still need your help here with these blasted things." Sango said as she pinned the _houshi_ to his seat with a dangerous glare.

"I'm coming. Did you see Kirara?" Kagome hurriedly changed the subject.

"Oh yeah! She was the first one to greet me when I got in here. She's getting a bit fat." Sango smiled over at Kagome. "Have you been slipping her scraps?"

"Uuuuh… Of course not. Must be your imagination playing tricks on you!" Kagome laughed nervously as she wrapped some meat in the pastry dough Sango had just rolled out.

Both woman laughed happily and continued to work as they talked of various aspects of the other's life during the honeymoon. When the work was done in the kitchen, they moved to the dining room table. The three old friends sat and reminisced on their high school years and enjoyed the food that had been prepared along with some warmed _sake._ Finally, sometime around midnight, Sango sighed and got up from her favourite spot on Kagome's overstuffed couch saying that they had had a long day and a good night's sleep was in order. So Kagome bid them goodnight and followed suit shortly after.

**xXx **

"InuYasha-sama! InuYasha-sama! Please wake up!"

InuYasha was awake, had been for at least an hour. But he saw no need to get up at the time; his bed was far too comfortable for that, not to mention the fact that it was barely eight in the morning. Now Myoga was banging on the door, probably with some news about his brother's recent dealings in town or about the issues in their father's will again. Myoga's voice seemed almost too desperate for any of the above though. So with a growl, the _hanyou _threw aside his blankets and yanked open the door, causing an old man to fall face first into the blood red carpet at InuYasha's feet. He quickly righted himself, brushed off his kimono, and cleared his throat.

"Well, what the (_**bleep!**_) is it?" InuYasha asked, the irritation in his voice unmistakable.

"There is a phone call for InuYasha-sama. It is of a most important nature!" The old man stumbled as he rose to his and offered the sleepy man a respectful bow.

"Myoga, you got me out of bed for a (_**bleep!**_) phone call?! Take a friggin' message!" the young man was just about to slam the door shut when his old caretaker spilled out more details about the call.

"No! InuYasha-sama! The man said that if you did not take the call, he would be forced to take drastic measures! He said his name was one Onigumo!" He babbled quickly.

That stopped InuYasha dead in his tracks. His heart leapt up into his throat and then down to the pit of his stomach all in a matter of two seconds. He shoved his way past the old man, down the stairs into the den, and yanked up the black cordless phone that lay on the coffee table. Putting it up to his ear, he could hear nothing but silence on the other end.

"What the (_**bleep!**_) do you want, Naraku!" He growled menacingly into the receiver.

"Is that anyway to speak to an old friend?" Came the sickeningly sweet reply.

"What do you want Naraku?! You've got a lot of nerve to call me!"

"Well, I have a message for you concerning your new friend. I believe her name was Higurashi Kagome, am I right?" InuYasha's heart stopped beating as the blood drained from his face.

"You would do well to keep her on a leash. I have reason to believe that she put some incriminating pictures in this morning's paper. You wouldn't want her to end up… missing… would you?" Naraku chuckled ominously.

"You keep your filthy hands off of her, ya hear?" The _hanyou_ growled.

"Just keep in mind what I said, we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, would we?" The line went dead, leaving a fuming and worried InuYasha who looked about ready to crush the headpiece in his hand.

"IiiinuYayayaysha-sama?" Myoga stuttered nervously.

"I'm goin' to the hang-out." He replied as he tossed the phone at the fat old man.

He stomped off to his room and threw on some loose jeans and semi-tight red shirt. To top off the whole outfit, he pulled on his black combats, a few chains, and his black leather cuffs. He then went out to the garage, straddled his motorcycle, and kicked her to life. He pushed out of the garage and sped down the road towards his only real haven, though even now it was starting to turn into a hellhole. There seemed to be no place that he could go to be at peace. Sure, he enjoyed the young _kitsune _boy's company; he had practically raised him, but all his workers, the constant music, the pounding of the welders, the roar of the airbrush compressors, all of it gave him a headache with his heightened senses. The only place he could think of that could give him peace was with Kagome. At least with her he could sit and be at rest. He constantly worried about her safety, but that pulled his mind away from his own worries. Now he had even more to worry about with Naraku going after her. There had to be some way to warn her or get rid of the danger.

With his mind completely preoccupied on Kagome, he barely registered the fact that he was heading straight to uptown Tokyo, where Kagome's apartment was situated. He had already let the motor shutter into sleep in front of the double glass doors before he was totally "in contact" with his surroundings. He sat on the bike for a few minutes just staring into the lobby wondering if he should go up and see her. He decided to go for it, dismounted the bike, and walked briskly up the stairs to her door. Once he reached his location, he stopped and stared hard at the wooden door, almost as if just looking at it would open it wide before him. His brows gathered into a deep look of worry when he took a pull of the air in the hall. Something was not right.

_Knock, knock, knock! _"Kagome, are you there?" He called out.

He stood for at least five minutes without any hint that someone had heard him. He knocked again, this time much louder, hoping that she was just in the back room sleeping behind a closed door. Yet again he got no answer, or even hint of an answer. Knowing that if she was just sleeping and would not appreciate a broken door, he searched around the door for a spare key. He eventually found one on the wooden ledge above the door and opened it as fast as he could.

The smell that assaulted his nose the moment he stepped into the entrance made his nose tingle. He put his arm over his nose and mouth and made his way toward the back.

"Kagome? Are you here? Kagome?" He called out.

His heart started pounding ninety to nothing as he got closer to her bedroom. From the kitchen he could hear the fridge motor whirling and the coffee pot brewing a fresh pot, so she had to be up.

Finally he reached her door and placed his hand on the doorknob. It was cold, much colder than it should have been, almost frozen. He turned it slowly, pushed it into the bedroom, and stepped in. Her blankets where thrown aside as though she had gotten up in a hurry, steam poured out of the bathroom where the shower streamed forgotten. Even with the hot steam flowing in from the bath, the room was deathly cold. Then he spotted something that made his heart stop.

On the other side of the bed he could see black hair sprawled across the cold tile. A long pale arm was just visible through the hair as well as a very slow spreading pool of blood. Her name leapt to his lips even as his sprang toward her prone body. He knelt down beside her and turned her from her side to her back. The wound on her shoulder had reopened and was to blame for at least half the blood around her, though she also had a very painful looking cut that ran from her temple and followed the hair line to about the middle of her forehead. InuYasha gently shook the woman and received no response.

"Kagome, you have to stay awake! Wake up! Kagome!" He did the best he could to revive her, but his efforts amounted to nothing.

Chills ran up and down his spine, and it wasn't just the cold._ Kagome, you can't die, not like this. Please, keep breathing just a little longer. _He carefully lifted the girl bridal style and made a beeline for the hospital. With each passing minute, Kagome's breathing became a little bit shallower, and InuYasha's desperation grew a little more evident.

**End of Chapter**

**Translations:**

_**Houshi: **_Buddhist priest

_**Hanyou:**_ Half demon

_**Arigotou gozai-masu:**_ Thank you (polite)

_**Dou-itashimashite:**_ You're welcome

_**Okaasan: **_Mother

_**Sake:**_ Japanese rice wine served hot, sometimes cold. Often drunk at special occasions.

_**Sutra:**_ Buddhist text written on pieces of paper. Often used to exorcisms.

**Notes to the Reviewers:**

Here we go, words for the reviewers! I love you guys!! **darkfire can purehearts: **thanks a lot for your support! **Petpeeves12: **yes, he did get his money… I think. Keep reading! **Kagome2234: **thank you for you support! I'm trying my best to make this enjoyable! **Hope swings: **no problem! He is an ex-felon, so a concealed gun is not a huge thing to him. The assassins target wasn't InuYasha, Naraku didn't even know he would be there. He just happened to be a long for the ride ! **IamHermioneGranger: **Thanks for reading! **Sasha the water goddess: **thanks, I hope this chapter is just as good!


	6. The Calm Before the Storm

**Disclaimer: **Yeah, basically, you guys know what I'm gonna say, so I won't even bother…

**Author's Notes: **Hey there everyone! Did you miss me? Doubt it. Anyhooo… I haven't really been working on the chapters like I had promised, sorry. I kinda lost the thread that I was using on this story, and it's going to take me a while to pick it up again. The best I can do right now is just finishing this chapter and then move on to "No Such Thing…" and finish it. I'll pick this one back up when the other story is done, I have no clue how anybody writes two stories at once! Gah! Anyway, read… enjoy… and… _**REVIEW!**_

**Chapter 6: The Calm Before the Storm**

"There was a slight fracture in the left side of her skull, right along the hair line, and her bullet wound reopened even larger than it was at first, but she should be ok after a few weeks of r-and-r." Doctor Honogawa looked up from his clipboard at the hopeful faces in front of him.

InuYasha had carried Kagome three miles from her apartment home to the local infirmary desperately hoping she would be ok. Now his fears could be at ease… for a moment.

"Oh thank you, doctor!" Sango said as tears ran down her pink cheeks. She hadn't stopped crying since InuYasha had called them with the news. With the prospect of losing her best friend, the one that had helped her through so much in the past, had not boded well upon her. Now hearing that Kagome was going to be right as rain was like hearing that the hurricane that was headed straight for your house had veered a hard right.

"Don't thank me, thank your friend here," Honogawa said as he motioned to where InuYasha sat, "If he hadn't found her when he did, she would have bled to death." After a few more ducked heads of thanks and some words of advice for care, the good doctor took his leave from the three to tell another family some less than happy news of their own.

Miroku threw himself down onto the hard hospital couch and heaved a great sigh. Sango slowly followed suit and snuggled up securely next to her husband. With his arm draped affectionately across her shoulders, she felt a lot better about the situation. But InuYasha on the other hand… well… he felt worse. Seeing Miroku with his young wife close to him, safe by his side, hurt as though someone had plunged a rusted knife into his already wounded heart. Once before, he had let someone down; they had died before he could say goodbye, and he did not intend on making that same mistake twice. A knock at the waiting room door brought him quickly out of his reverie though.

"Excuse me, but are you family to Ms. Higurashi?" A young nurse said shyly to the group. Sango jumped up right away and nodded her head fervently. "She just woke up, if you wanted to go see her. Just follow me to her room if you would."

She led them through many winding corridors until they reached the intensive care unit and led them to the very last door on that hall. There was a single bed there, with several machines beeping and whirring, an open window, and even a mounted TV. But that wasn't what the group saw. There on the crisp white bed lay Kagome, with three tubes stuck in various places around her face and wrists. Her face was black and blue around the wound, and her wounded shoulder and arm looked limp. But she had a smile on.

"Hey guys!" She said in a weak voice. "I had hoped you all would be here. Did any of you happen to call my mom? I was supposed to have lunch with her today. She's probably worried sick about me."

"Don't worry about it Kags, your mom was here an hour ago." Sango pulled a chair up to the side of Kagome's bed and took her hand. It was cold and unresponsive. "So, how are you feeling right now? I'd think you'd have a huge headache!"

"Yeah, it hurts, but not too bad. The doctor said that I was lucky to only have a fracture. The bad thing is my arm. They're not too sure what's gonna happen with it." She lifted it gingerly from the sheets to verify what she had been told. It felt like she was trying to lift a fifty-pound weight with one arm. It dropped back to the bed with a dull thud.

"Don't worry Kagome, we'll find the _**(bleep!) **_that did this to you!" InuYasha fumed from the door of the room.

Sango gave the _hanyou_ boy a stern look. She hated it when people cursed, especially now around Kagome when she was in such a weak state. When she was sure she had made her silent point to InuYasha, she turned back to address Kagome. The young girl looked horrible, in the best sense, of course. The entire left side of her face looked like it had been smashed into a concrete floor a couple times, and the bruising on her shoulder had spread all the way to the base of her slender neck. Inside Sango cringed at the sight. Noticing Sango's gaze, Kagome patted her best friend's hand and assured her that she would be fine.

"Sango, really, don't worry about me. Only a few days in here and I'll be back out on the street snapping pictures at weddings and such without the slightest care in the world!" She smiled a smile that defied the pain she felt. "Besides, InuYasha is going to help me track down the man that's responsible, right Inu-?" She looked past Sango to the doorway were the man had been not two seconds before. He was gone.

**xXx**

_It's my fault! I should have watched her apartment! I should have known something was going to happen! Stupid freakin' __**idiot!**_ InuYasha sped down the highways and back alleys of Tokyo. After seeing Kagome in that condition, he would not allow himself to be forgiven. He had left the hospital as soon as he knew that she would be safe with her friends. It hurt just to look at her petite form laying the bed so helplessly, the nasty bruises and cuts snaking their way across her arm, shoulder, and head.

He drove on and on until he reached a quiet district of Tokyo. Shrines littered a wide-open meadow peppered with _sakura_ trees and various wild flowers. He parked his bike and strolled slowly towards a shrine nearest to the south wall of the compound. Incense drifted lazily between the outstretched branches and blossoms fell like snow, shaken from their homes by the gentle easterly breezes, birds twittered merrily in their perches. It was by far, the most serene place in all of Tokyo. Over the west wall, the sun had begun her graceful and magnificent decent into the world of darkness. This was the world of the dead. Hundreds of deceased nobles had been laid to rest within the sheltering walls of Mitsubishi Graveyard for the past two hundred years. Even now there was a solemn procession going on in the western corner. There were always people lighting incense cones and sticks in the deceased's shrines, asking for guidance. Now it was InuYasha's turn, something he rarely chose to do.

He finally reached the shrine he wanted. It was similar to every other shrine on the property except that it held the remains of both a youkai _and_ a human, not that anyone else would have noticed, but to him, he could smell the difference in the soil. His father and mother lay here. He grabbed a couple sticks of incense from a box near the entrance of the shrine and lit them with his lighter. Holding them both in prayerful hands, he bowed his head and then got onto his knees and mumbled something before he placed each of the sticks into a two dishes at the base of each of the tombstones. Sitting back on his heels, he placed his hand on his thighs and looked hopefully at the cold polished stones before him.

"_Okaasan,__chichioya_what do I do now? I know who did it, and I know why, but _**(bleep!)**_ it all, I can't do a _**(bleep!)**_ing thing about it! I let her down. Now what am I supposed to do? _Chichioya_,if you were still here, you would have the power and influence enough to get rid of him, but I have nothing."

"What a pitiful sight you make, kneeling here like it will do you any good. What a sad excuse for a son." A cold, hard voice purred behind the young _hanyou_.

"Sesshomaru! What are you doing here, it's not like you give a _**(bleep!)**_ about _chichioya_anyway!" InuYasha spat out as he rose to his feet and gave a respectful bow to the marking stones. (_**IB:** Come on, you all know that InuYasha would NEVER bow to Sessy!)_

Sesshomaru stood tall over his half brother. About the only similarity that the two possessed was their silver hair and golden eyes, after that… nothing. In the middle of the older man's forehead was a blue crescent moon probably signifying his role in the _Inu youkai_ clan, and across both cheeks were two purple markings like claw marks. His well-muscled body was clothed in a white suit with red pinstripes and yellow and purple handkerchief stuck in the breast pocket (_**IB:** I wanted to get all the colours of his kimono into his suit, it's the prettiest kimono! -.-)_. One well-manicured hand rested on the banister of the shrine as he smiled evilly at his little brother.

"I am paying my regards to the man that put me at the head of this town." He replied coolly.

"Get out of my way, you pansy!" InuYasha pushed past Sesshomaru roughly and would have made off for the parking lot had not a hand with very sharp claws, and very dangerous, grab his arm.

"Not so fast you dirty mutt," Sesshomaru said coldly without even moving from his spot, "You've made a big mistake making Naraku mad. Don't look at me like I'm stupid. I have connections that can tell me your every move. Now I would suggest you leave that bitch of yours to the sharks. She's better off dead, one less human to be bothered with."

InuYasha turned three shades of red before giving his answer by means of a punch to the cold man's jaw, or he would have, if the man had not caught his hand. That was enough for the young hot head though. He spun out of his half brother's grasp, bared his fangs and cracked his knuckles loudly.

"Don't even think for a moment that I'm gonna leave Kagome to the wolves! You're not the one to talk anyway! You got that little human concubine that shadows your every step! So why don't you just _**(bleep!)**_ off!" He fairly shouted, drawing the curious stares of many shrine goers.

Sesshomaru's eyes flashed with murderous intent for a moment only before his cool exterior fell back into place. He turned his back to the infuriated boy, took a stick of incense from the box, and lit it before he replied.

"Cool your jets, little brother. It is your own funeral. Now if you'll excuse me as I pay my respects to our father."

At just that moment, a short little toad-like _youkai_ retainer scuttled up to the older brother, followed by a beautiful young girl. _Must be her, must be his "lover" Rin. She's young! Can't be more than sixteen. _The young _hanyou_ thought to himself. The girl looked so innocent with a little of her wavy raven black hair pulled back and her bright orange and yellow formal kimono swishing around her ankles. But he was too angry to stick around and find out. He turned on heel and stomped of through the serene graveyard towards the parking lot, but not before Sesshomaru gave him one last thing to think about.

"InuYasha, she'll ruin you. Just like your mother ruined _chichioya_, she'll kill you in the end."

InuYasha threw a baleful glare over his shoulder then continued his way to the parking lot and his only chance of escape. He refused to let his brother's words rub him. He had convinced himself that he was stronger than his father had been; he had survived the world when his father had not. None-the-less, he was afraid, something he'd only known once before.

**xXx**

"InuYasha! The airbrush compressor at station six is busted." Shippou tried hard to get on InuYasha's good side, but it seemed like today, he really didn't have a good side, not that he had much of one to start with.

It had been a week since Kagome's attack and hospitalization, and InuYasha hadn't left the hangout since then. He had sat in his office with the air conditioning turned on arctic and the shades drawn as tight as they would go. Shippou strongly suspected that the stubborn man had eaten nothing since that time, and by the smell of the room, had not bathed either. The very air smelled of depression. Once again, as he had done many times before, the young _kitsune_ boy had put it upon himself to pull the _Inu hanyou_ out of his present state.

"Are you listening…? Of course not, you're too busy being a depressed bone bag! Why don't you call up that downtown brothel to help you out, hmm?" That got the reaction that the boy had wanted.

InuYasha's once dull eyes shot wide open and fixed the boy to the far wall with a hateful glare. His pink lips pulled thin over his pearly white teeth and a growl bellowed deep in his chest. Slowly he got up from his old battered couch and walked over to Shippou, cracking his knuckles menacingly as he went. That did nothing to deter the _kitsune_ though; he plunged right in.

"Look here, whelp, I ain't goin' to no brothel! And I'll have you know that I ain't no depressed bone bag!"

"Well, you're sure as _**(bleep!)**_ acting like one! Sitting around here like a moping puppy dog, won't do anything and won't even bother with personal hygiene!" To demonstrate his point, Shippou plugged his nose. The stench of body odour had gotten worse with the movement in the room as well as the fact that InuYasha was almost nose-to-nose with the boy. It was impossible to avoid it.

Just then, the sound of a phone went off inside some drawer in InuYasha's massive desk. Without hesitation, he leapt at the desk and rummaged around in several drawers before he finally found the phone. He mashed the green phone and placed the receiver to his ear.

"_Moshi moshi,_ Tessaiga InuYasha speaking," there was a slight pause in which the _hanyou's _eyes lit up, "Kagome! They told me you weren't supposed to be out of the hospital until Friday! Why the early let out?"

Even with his acute hearing, Shippou could barely make out the other side of the conversation. The only thing he could pick up on was the fact that this Kagome must be the girl that his "big brother" had gotten involved with. InuYasha tended to keep his love life, if you could call it that, a secret, but when he was really involved, it didn't take a lot to understand that. He was acting differently this time though. He seemed to be more patient and maybe even a little bit more caring, but none-the-less a lot more distracted. By the time the phone call was over, a slight smile replaced bared fangs and once fiery eyes had a softer glow. This was definitely new.

"Who was that?"

"Higurashi Kagome. Other than that, there's nothin' more for ya to know. Not right now at least. Anyways, about the airbrush compressor, call the technician on Osaka Street to fix it. I gotta go." InuYasha pulled on a red jacket, walked out the door, and out of the old graffiti covered warehouse. The roar of his motorcycle had already died away before the shock had worn off the _kitsune_ boy. This was the weirdest he had even seen the _hanyou_ act.

**xXx**

_Knock, knock, knock. _InuYasha felt strangely that he was in a déjà vu dream while he knocked on Kagome's door, only this time, she would answer it. After a few seconds of waiting, the door opened slightly and the woman peeked outside. When she was satisfied with what she saw, she opened the door wide and beckoned the nervous man inside. The moment he stepped foot inside the house, the strong smell of cinnamon assaulted his nose, drawing tears to his eyes.

"What the _**(bleep!)**_ are you cookin' that requires so much cinnamon?" He fell gratefully into the soft cushions of Kagome's couch.

"Oh, I'm not cooking anything actually. It's incense. The house smelled really weird when I got back, so I decided to light some incense to get rid of the smell." Kagome's nose wrinkled as she recalled the smell.

"Well, the strength of this new smell is sure to drive away even the most hardy _youkai_! What did the apartment smell like anyway?" As he started to think about it, tingles ran up InuYasha's spine. He had a feeling he knew what it had smelled like.

Kagome pulled her feet underneath her as she sat down on the love seat and thought back on the smell, fishing for the right words to describe it. "It smelled like… like some dead person had been dragged through every room and little bits and pieces of its body cut up and put into hidden corners each room."

The tingles in InuYasha's spine increased tenfold with this news. He _knew_ now without a doubt who had come into Kagome's apartment. There could be no mistaking that smell. It had been that same smell that had permeated through his mother's castle all those years ago when she had been murdered right in front of him. The vivid images ingrained in his brain from the event returned full force then. His mother screaming in pain and terror, the smell of death, blood, and fear washed over him like the waves of a tsunami. The next thing he knew, Kagome was peering into his face with concern.

"What's wrong, InuYasha? You look like you saw a ghost." She asked as she knelt down at his knees and placed a comforting hand on his knee.

"I did." She looked questioningly into his eyes and cocked her head to the side. There was a lot to this man that she did not know. Layers of intrigue and pain that would take years to peel off and understand fully covered every inch of him.

"Don't worry about me." He assured her as he placed his own callused hand on her's. "For now, I don't think it's safe for you to stay here alone."

"I haven't really got anywhere else to go. I could ask Sango, and I'm sure she'd say yes but I don't want to intrude on them, not when they just got married last week. That's the last thing they need." Kagome rambled as she got up to sit next to the _hanyou_.

"Well, I hadn't really meant Miroku," InuYasha looked at Kagome as he spoke. "I had thought you could come to my place or I could stay in your guest room."

The look on Kagome's face was one of trepidation. "I don't know that my mom would be okay with that. I could always go stay with her. There's plenty of room in the shrine's compound to accommodate me."

"The reason I suggested for me to stay with you is cause I would feel a lot better if I was there to watch over you, and if someone did try to do something, I'd be there to stop them. When you're at your mom's house, there's no one to protect you, and if you were attacked, you would only be endangering your family too. Now Sango and Miroku could do pretty good at keeping you safe, but I don't like the idea of you being in that lecher's house." InuYasha explained as he got up and made his way back to the guest room.

"I guess that makes sense. I suppose I could just tell momma what you told me… that might set better with her." She said as she followed him back to the bedroom.

The _hanyou_ was paying no attention to her. He stood in the middle of the room, clawed hands resting on his hips. He could still smell the intruder, even under the thick musk of the incense. He could tell that someone had been rummaging through the closets and drawers looking for something, and he believed he knew just what it was that they had been looking for. That is, if it had been someone other than Kagome.

"Kagome, where are the negatives of those pictures you took at the races?"

"They're in a box under my bed. Or, they were last time I checked." Kagome made a beeline for her bedroom with InuYasha hot on her heels.

Upon reaching her room she fell to her knees and started rummaging around underneath her bed. Boxes of pictures and negatives, envelopes with letters and bills, even a few shoes, came flying out on either side of her, her hands digging deep into the mess. InuYasha peered over her shoulder, one eyebrow arched high. This was the one place he hadn't seen so out of order. Finally, a very bedraggled Kagome emerged from the growing piles on either side of her. Her hair hug limp around her face, a few strands caught on the corners of her mouth, others plastered to her sweaty forehead. She looked at InuYasha helplessly.

"They're not there… are they?" He asked, though he already knew the answer. She shook her head.

"_**(bleep!)**_ it! Kagome, even though they got what they wanted, you gotta stay with me. You ain't staying in this apartment any longer." He pulled her up and pointed towards the closet. "Pack your things."

"Now wait a minute!" Kagome called to him as he walked out of the room. Placing her fists defiantly on her hips, she glared at him. "I see no reason why I can't just stay here. They got what they wanted, like you said, so why the heck would they come back? And I'm not a child you boss around!"

"Wench, this is your life we're talkin' about here! I know more about these guys than you could ever imagine, so don't even try me! Now pack your _**(bleep!)**_ bags and let's go!" His fists clenched at his sides.

Kagome stood there glaring at him, and he of course, glared right back. She made no move to grab the duffle bag she had pulled out from under the bed in her search. There was no way this cocky biker was going to get her to leave her apartment. When a few minutes had passed and still neither one had moved, InuYasha let out a throaty growl.

"I'm gonna protect you and I can't do that here. Now… pack… your… bags!" He punctuated each word with a jab at the bag at her feet.

Finally Kagome moved to grab the big yellow bag at her feet and throw some clothes in. She slammed open her drawers and grabbed handfuls of various garments and shoved them in then stalked to her closets and tore open the doors. She yanked a few coats and shirts off their hangers and snatched up a pair of sneakers and threw all of it into her bag, jerked the drawstring tightly and threw it at InuYasha's feet.

"My bag is packed. Happy?" She snapped.

Her attitude rolled off him like water off a duck's back. He had seen enough of this from other girls for her reaction to be any surprise to him. He stooped and grabbed the oversized backpack and with one last glance around the disheveled room, he threw it over his shoulder and walked out of the room towards the door. Behind him, as he walked off, Kagome grabbed an empty shoulder bag that hung from the mirror and threw some makeup, her prized camera and its equipment, and a brush in and then stormed out after the _hanyou._ He stood waiting for her at the door having pulled is boots on while she grabbed the other things. She sat down on the step and pulled on her brown loafers slowly. Taking one last look around the apartment, she got up and walked out the door. InuYasha shut the door and held his hand out to her.

"What?" She asked, still unpleased with the way things had turned.

"Give me the key."

She shoved a hand down into a pocket on the green pleated skirt she was wearing and dropped the keys into his open hand. He locked the door and put the keys into his own pocket and then walked down the hallway to the stairs, Kagome in tow. They walked the next five minutes down to the lobby and out into the parking lot to his bike in silence. He looked between the bike and the heavy bag on his shoulder and heaved an annoyed sigh. He fished through a few pockets before finding his cell phone and flipped it open. After dialing a number he placed the sleek electronic up to his ear and waited for someone to pick up.

"Shippou? It's InuYasha. Call a taxi and get your butt over to Second Street. I need you to drive Katsu." He paused, listening to the kit on the other side of the line. "No! Get over here now!" InuYasha closed the phone and turned to Kagome.

"Where'd ya park your car?"

Kagome pointed over to the big _sakura_ tree. Underneath it, covered in little pink and white petals, sat her car. InuYasha walked over to it and pulled out the keys that Kagome had given to him. After fiddling around for the right key, he jammed the key into the lock and opened the door. He threw the yellow bag into the back seat and slid into the driver's seat. When he saw that Kagome had not followed him he leaned out of the car and called to her to get in the car.

"Kagome, get in the car! We gotta head over to my place to get ya settled in."

"InuYasha, I don't like this! I don't want to leave my apartment, and I especially do not want to go stay at your house! Thanks but no thanks! I'll go to the shrine and stay with my mom." Kagome pulled her phone out of her purse and began to press some buttons.

The young man had had quite enough of Kagome's attitude at this point. Getting out of the car, he headed straight for the preoccupied woman, his boots thudding heavily on the tarmac as he went. Just before he reached her, she started talking sweetly into the receiver.

"_Konnichiwa_! Is it possible for me to get a taxi to…? InuYasha! What the _**(bleep!)**_are you doing with me! Put me down this instant! I mean it!" Kagome's cell phone landed solidly on the pavement and snapped shut.

InuYasha had lifted the stubborn photographer into his arms and was now carrying her in the direction of the car. She struggled viciously to get down but to no avail, his grip on her legs and shoulders was a strong as iron and just about as tight. Once he reached the passenger's side of the car he quickly opened the door and shoved his load into the seat then slammed the door shut again, but not before he had locked the door.

"InuYasha! This is_ not_ right!" Kagome shouted through the window as she vainly struggled to unlock the door.

"I said I was gonna protect you and this the only way I can do that properly." He shouted back as he made his way around the car and into the driver's seat.

For once, Kagome sat quietly in the seat and stared out at the traffic ahead of her. An angry scowl was painted deeply into her beautiful features and her arms crossed tightly over her chest, but she said and did nothing to gainsay what InuYasha had told her, she only sat there stewing. They both sat there stewing. That is, until a bright yellow taxi rolled into the parking lot and deposited a young boy with bright red hair and a bushy foxtail.

"Shippou! What took you so long?" InuYasha called as he slid out of the car again and walked over to the _kitsune_ boy.

"Sorry Yasha, the taxi got caught in traffic halfway here. But I'm here now. Why'd you need me to drive Katsu?" Shippou asked as he peered around InuYasha at the car he had come from.

"Long story. Just follow that car," he pointed towards the car in which Kagome sat, "and then I'll drive her back to the warehouse myself. Got that? Easy enough for a runt like you ta do?"

"Yeah. But I'd still like to know why you have too drive a car! You never drive!"

"Stop asking dumb questions and get the bike runnin'!" InuYasha said as he bonked the curious boy on the head.

Shippou nodded obediently as he rubbed the bump that was forming and ran over to the bike to get it started. InuYasha, meanwhile, had gotten into the car and started the engine. When he heard the motorcycle rev to life he pulled out of the parking lot and headed down the street to the neighborhood where his home was located.

**xXx**

A black car and red and silver motorcycle rolled into the Tessaiga estate's long, winding driveway around two in the afternoon. Just as the car pulled to a stop in front of the grand stairway to the front door a short fat man came puffing down the stairs looking distraught.

"_Gomen nasai_! The master of the house is out at the moment so if you could… InuYasha-sama!" he pulled up short as InuYasha slid out of the driver's seat.

"Oh, InuYasha-sama! We've been looking all over for you!" Myoga ducked into a bow and tweaked his pointy beak-like sucker happily. Then he spotted the young woman that was just stepping out of the passenger side.

"Myoga, this is Kagome. She's gonna stay with us for a while until things cool down in the city, got that?" InuYasha motioned for one of the servants to attend to the bag in the back seat and take it to a free guest room.

"She is very pretty! I bet she has some sweet blood." Myoga felt his mouth start to water at the thought.

"You keep your flea-nose off of her, you hear?" InuYasha growled as he smacked the short flea _youkai_ over the head.

"Yes sir. There was some business we needed to attend to, sir." Myoga droned out, replacing his happy nature with the subservient mask.

During all of this Kagome stood gazing stupidly at the surrounding compound. The moment InuYasha had turned into this driveway she had been awestruck. The long driveway had been lined with dozens of different flowering trees on either side, their long branches reaching over the drive like a bridge and scattering the sunlight into small patches. The grounds beyond that were perfectly manicured lawns speckled with tiny oriental gardens and ponds filled with _koi_ and lotuses. The house, no, mansion, was just as spectacular. It was built in the English fashion, setting aside the traditional Japanese style. It rose two stories over the grounds with dozens of windows and plenty of flourishes in its stone faces. She was still gawking at the splendour when a strong wrapped around her waist and led her towards the front door. Behind her she heard a young giggle and turned her head enough to see.

"Shippou! Shut it!" InuYasha growled at the teenage _kitsune_. He reached out a fisted hand to knock the boy's head but just when he would have connected with fiery head he met nothing but air.

"Hahaha! Missed me! Missed me! Now ya gotta kiss me!" Taunted a disembodied voice.

InuYasha forgot completely about his dumbfounded charge and cracked his knuckles menacingly. "Shippou! I'm gonna pound you to a bloody pulp!" He shouted as he sprinted out into the lawn.

From the depths of one of the bushes came a childish giggle and a tell tale bushy red tail. InuYasha spared no time in pouncing on the unfortunate tail. Just as he started to pull the offending boy out of the bush the tail disappeared in a puff of smoke and left a small stone statue of a fox guardian, right over InuYasha's hands. Even as he started to pull his smashed fingers out from under the statue Shippou rushed by and slapped a _sutra_ over the thing's head, thus thwarting any of InuYasha's future attempts to get up.

"You _**(bleep!)**_! Get over here right now and get this thing off of my hands! I mean it, pip squeak!" An infuriated _hanyou_ shouted to the slowly retreating _kitsune_.

"Not a chance! I'll just leave you there and take Kagome for myself! Ta ta, looser!" Shippou replied triumphantly.

Kagome, who had been watching the whole thing intently, was holding her sides in laughter. Tears streamed down her face as she watched the interaction between 'siblings,' she even had to sit down when she found the laughter had drain all the energy from her legs. When Shippou reached her quivering form he too burst into peels of laughter as he helped her to her feet.

"Don't think we've been properly introduced. The name's Shippou. That jerk over there adopted me when I was little." He said as the last of the giggles had left them both.

"I'm Higurashi Kagome. Pleased to meet you." Kagome offered Shippou her hand in a handshake.

"You're really different from the rest of the girls he brings to the warehouse. And he never takes girls home with him. You must really be something."

"Just in a tough spot, that's all." Kagome said as her face went through six different shades of red.

"Mhm. Yeah. Well, I'll show you inside the house, if you want. I know this place like the back of my paw!" Shippou said as he swept his arm out wide across the massive building. Gently he placed an arm around Kagome's thin shoulders and led her inside, completely ignoring the enraged ranting from the lawn.

"Shippou! You freakin' trickster! Get your hands off Kagome and let me up! I'm gonna kill you in your sleep! I swear it!" InuYasha yelled at the two as they made their way up the stairs.

"Don't you think you should let him up now? He sounds pretty mad." Kagome looked at the fox boy at her side.

"Nah! I do this all the time, and he doesn't really mean any of the major threats anyway. Besides, the spell'll rub off in a few minutes, it's only a mind game. The statue isn't really there." He smiled slightly, just enough for Kagome to catch a glimpse of the two milky white canines glittering in the sunshine.

Kagome looked the _kitsune_ from head to toe, or claw, as the case was. Instead of human legs, Shippou had two dog-like limbs, almost as though he could not completely transform into a human form from his original fox form. To add to that, a bright bushy fox tail waved back and forth behind him like a pompom. Two green eyes sparkled mischievously in a jovial face topped with a mop of thick red hair that was pulled back in a loose ponytail. He was the fourth high-blooded _youkai_ she had met in her life. She had met many lesser _youkai_, creatures that could not change into a human form, but not very many greater _youkai_ made appearances these days. To her surprise, the entire Tessaiga estate was manned by full-blooded greater _youkai_ of every sort imaginable, from the head administrator Myoga the flea, to the lowest chamber maid.

The whole place was amazing. The people that worked there, the immaculate gardens and ponds, the grand hotel-like receiving room, even the bathrooms looked like something out of a movie or book. As Shippou led her through the home from room to room and finally to the guest room she was to occupy, she began to wonder what stories the mystery InuYasha had in store for her.

When her impromptu tour guide had left her to unpack her bags and settle in to her room, Kagome threw herself happily into the cushy softness of her bed and heaved a content sigh.

"Maybe coming here wasn't such a bad idea after all."

**End of Chapter**

**xXx**

**Translations: **

_**Hanyou:**_ Half demon

_**Sakura:**_ Japanese cherry tree

_**Okaasan:**_ Mother

_**Chichioya:**_ Father

_**Inu youkai:**_ Dog demon

_**Youkai:**_ Demon

_**Kitsune:**_ Fox demon

_**Moshi moshi:**_ Hello (phone)

_**Konnichiwa**_: Good afternoon

_**Gomen nasai**: _Excuse me

_**Koi:**_ Decorative giant goldfish

**Notes to the Reviewers:**

Due to the fact that my last "chapter" was more of a suggestion starter, I'm gonna answer the reviews of the fifth chapter as well as the suggestions. Here it goes… **XxHisLilLoverGirlxX: **Thanks! I'm glad you like it! Keep reading and reviewing! **Punk Rock Miko2:** Yeah, Kags can be pretty dumb at times, or is it tenacity? **inufan4ever2591:** Thanks! Enjoy the next chapter! **IamHermioneGranger: **I made this chapter extra long, just for you! I hope you'll forgive the yearlong wait for the next chapter, you know how school goes… **jessiskags: **I'm glad you liked it! **petpeeves12: **Yep, she should have listened… Anyway! Thanks for sticking with me and I hope you'll forgive me for the inactivity. **Jessiskags: **Thanks for the suggestions! **angelqt1231: **Thanks for your suggestions, it was helpful! **Sakura2234: **Thank you for your suggestions, which is probably what I will end up doing. And thanks for the compliment _**(blushes)**_!

**Final Notes: **

Thanks to all of you that reviewed and sent in suggestions! Again I apologize for my long absence, and I hope you'll forgive me and continue to read. I wasn't completely inactive during that time though! For those of you who go back through the first five chapters, you'll see I changed and added a few things. Not a whole lot, just sprucing it up a bit. Ok, that's about as much as I can say now. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please _**review**_!


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